Son of the Night
by luckycatshadow
Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura’s job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR YMXR possible YMXMXBXR mentioned MXR, bloody stuff light and violence
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: So, I checked on the Internet yesterday and sadly my bid for ownership for Yugiouu failed. So, as of today I don't own it. But who knows what tomorrow will bring.

X.X.X

The darkness concealed everything and everyone. It was a blessing for those who did not wish to be seen and a struggle for those who needed to get to important places. Shadowy figures lurked on every corner, some selling drugs, others their bodies. What ever one wanted they could find it on the streets of Domino.

Among the nightwalkers of the city stalked a certain feared figure. Those who saw him gave him a wide berth, no one wanted to mess with this shadowy prowler. And the stalker wanted no interruptions. A group of men walked not too far in front of the shadow walker. Those were his targets, but only one death was necessary. The rest were a bonus.

Normal POV

Bakura could hear his breath faintly. That was all the sound that echoed in his part of the dark and damp alley. Up ahead noise drifted back to his attentively perked ears. His footsteps fell silently as he paced after his target. Up ahead the business man argued loudly on his cell phone as the guards kept pace with him. The man was stupid to travel without a car and with only four bodyguards, especially in a seedy part of the city. No one who knew they were marked should act that stupid. He was probably trying to use the lack of a car to better slide into the city's essence with no one the wiser. It was foolish of the man. _And yet somehow he managed to become the CEO of some big important flashy company._

Bakura continued his deadly stalk of death, slowly speeding up. And still the victim was oblivious. Bakura found his hand straying to his knife, hanging sheathed on his belt. He blended into to the shadows perfectly, wearing not black but rather clothes made of motley of patches of several shades of grey and black. It helped blending in with shadows for not all shadows were black but rather just dark. His white hair was perfectly hidden under a dark grey ski hat.

Up ahead the target stopped, muttering angrily on his cell phone, punctuating his words with abrupt actions. Finally the businessman yelled on last time then pulled the phone away from his ear and clicked a button. He turned to talk to his head bodyguard. Bakura slid his blade out of the leather sheath. The polished blade was eight inches from where the blade met the handle to the tip and the handle was made of polished oak wood and five inches long.

He could almost smell the fear in the air. It would be anytime soon. The man was still up ahead and Bakura let his muscular legs coil and spring. It was only a few short seconds to the target and then the polished steel dagger met the one of the guard's back and into the beating heart. Before any of the men could react Bakura was spinning and letting his dripping blade greet the next security. The one of the remaining two faced the shadow while the second grabbed the CEO's arm and hustled him forward and deeper into the alley.

A feral growl slid out of Bakura's throat, no way was he failing. A small flash in the dim moonlight was the only warning then his knife met with the man's chest, blood pouring out for a moment then slower as the heart's pumping slowed then stopped.

Bakura was up and sprinting towards the man and his security, feet silently slapping the hard pavement. The last man turned and unholstered a gun. As Bakura saw the gun being pulled out he dove into a roll. The wildly fired bullet rushed over his head and beyond in the dark alley. The assassin sprang to his feet, clenching his knees then sprang again. The aim was perfect and Bakura landed next to gun-wielding guard. Before the man had time to counter Bakura grasped the gun-laden arm and wrenched it to the side, letting his dagger find a spot between the man's ribs. The CEO backed away, mouth gaping and cell phone dangling forgotten between his fingers. Bakura cocked his head and listened, if the person was still on it, it would mean an unnecessary witness and the Guild would not be happy.

Blessed silence met his ears. Now was the time to finish this mission and get home. The CEO was still standing in shock and the assassin had no problem getting right up to him and letting his knife finish the job. With a slow fall the man's body collapsed onto the dirty pavement. Bakura watched as the puddle widened around the corpse in an ever growing circle.

The shadowy killer headed back into the bustling city, it was past supper time and blood made the assassin hungry.

LATER

The clock chimed eleven, echoing mournfully in the near empty house. The sound found its way into the kitchen, startling the petite boy bent over the counter, pencil tapping the papers spread in front of him. Ryou looked around with a sigh, it was eleven already and Bakura wasn't back yet.

The teen returned to his work, concentrating on the school paper that lay in front of him. A pile of neatly stacked papers lay to his left, already having been finished by the teen. With a slight shrug he fixed the sleeve of his long-sleeved black and white striped shirt. The shirt was large on the petite frame as it belonged to Bakura.

The thud of the door quietly shutting caused Ryou's head to jerk up in surprise. No sound came to Ryou's ears and that scared him. The boy's pale hand drifted towards a steak knife lying on the counter. Ryou nervously clutched it, and his eyes swept the room, checking every corner and shadow. He had kept the room brightly lit because of his fears but somehow shadows still lurked, taunting the scared teen.

The feel of an arm sliding around his waist startled him and the knife fell to the linoleum floor with a clatter. Ryou's breath hitched and his diminutive frame started to shake. A second arm joined the first and they tightened around the teen's waist. A scream bubbled up the boy's throat and erupted. Before a second passed one of the arms that had been around the teen's waist raised itself to cover his mouth.

"Shsh." The attacker hissed in Ryou's ear. The teen froze; he recognized the low husky voice. Slowly he turned around in the person's arms and came face to face with his older brother, Bakura. The teen's face instantly smoothed out, any traces of terror and fright gone. The teen was still trembling faintly however.

"'Kura, y-you scared me!" The older teen smiled faintly at the tremor in his brother's voice, even though he acted like it was already Ryou was still scared. The young teen reached up and wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and breathed in his brother's scent with a smile.

"Ok Ryou. As much as I love holding you I'm famished. What did you make?"

"Um, I made some pasta and there's some meat in the fridge for you. All it needs is to be warmed up."

"Did you eat tenshi?"

Ryou frowned at the question. It was nice and all of his brother to care but he didn't like it when Bakura asked too many questions about his eating habits. Just because he wasn't the biggest fan of eating didn't mean he was anorexic, did it?

"Of course I ate something." The young teen hated lying to his older brother but he didn't want Bakura to worry about him.

Bakura released Ryou and as the teen went to get the food from the fridge, looked around the spotless kitchen. He wandered over to the papers on the counter and studied them intently.

"What are these Ryou?" The teen looked up from his position bending over the fridge and glanced over to what Bakura was browsing through.

"Oh, those. Those are copies our school transcripts. We start school tomorrow and I thought it would be best if I went over the papers and knew our story forwards and backwards." Bakura looked at his brother's face and thought over the teen's words for a moment.

"Alright then, Mr. Expert. Where did we move from?"

"Simple. Westwood, New Jersey."

"And what are our parent's names?"

"Anoka and Sadiki Bakura."

"And how did they die?"

"In a car crash two Septembers ago, when I was 14."

"And why is it we moved to Japan?"

"Once you were legally old enough to be my guardian you wanted to move away from our mother's relatives in America and since our father was Japanese you decided to come here to his native country."

Bakura nodded, his brother did know the story pretty well. The older teen glanced back down at the papers again. Ryou and Bakura's grade was listed as 12th. Even though Ryou was younger than Bakura by three years he had been smart enough to be moved up to 12th grade and every school they went to recognized that and put him in 12th with Bakura. (In case you can't tell, Bakura's 19 and Ryou's 16.)

Ryou continued bustling around the kitchen, warming up Bakura's meal. Finally it was ready and Ryou steered Bakura to a kitchen chair, almost motherly. The teen stood over Bakura as he ate his meal. As soon as the kitchen was cleaned up Ryou leaped into Bakura's arms, wrapping his legs around his brother's waist.

Bakura gazed down into his brother's chocolate eyes. The man knew what was coming and he couldn't wait for it. Bakura bent down and his lips melded with Ryou's soft rose petal lips. They headed up the stairs, still lip locked. Bakura steered them towards their bedroom and pushed the door open with his free hand, not breaking the kiss. The entwined couple fell back onto the large bed, Bakura lying on his back with Ryou propped on top of him.

Finally Ryou pulled away with a low moan, gasping for breath. Bakura lay under him, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Oh gosh Bakura!" Ryou's voice was high and breathy. He rolled off of Bakura's stomach and took several deep breaths. Bakura did not like Ryou leaving him and rolled over to face Ryou, need evident in his eyes.

"No 'Kura! We have school tomorrow and it is already 11:45. We need to be getting to bed, not…" Ryou trailed off, his face turning bright red. Bakura chuckled slightly at the sight but still pouted.

"But I want to!" He was whining and he knew it.

"No 'Kura!" Bakura pouted but acquiesced. Ryou grabbed hold of the blankets and pulled them over their bodies. The man pulled Ryou close to him and closed his eyes, letting sleep claim them both.

X.X.X

The alarm blared softly, waking the two intertwined teens. Ryou was the first to stir, rising from the grip of slumber to shut off the alarm. He reached down and pulled Bakura's arms off from around his waist. The boy left the warm cocoon of blankets and leaned back over the bed to stir his brother awake.

Bakura cracked one eye open, hissing as the light streamed into it and stung. Ryou was bent over him, gently shaking his shoulder. The man grinned and darted his hand forward, grabbing Ryou's hand. Bakura brought it to his mouth, gently kissing each finger before smothering the palm in little butterfly kisses.

"It is time to wake up 'Kura. We can't be late for our first day of school."

"I know, you just look so pretty in the morning. I need you really badly." Ryou giggled softly at Bakura before sticking out his tongue. The teen pulled back his hand and headed towards the bathroom teasingly calling back over his shoulder.

"Better hurry up 'Kura or I'll be done with my shower before you come in." At that Bakura quickly rolled out of bed and the blankets and raced after his brother into the bathroom, quickly catching up to Ryou. The younger boy gave a small giggle as Bakura scooped him off his feet and quickly took over of the teen's lips.

Bakura and Ryou stumbled into the bathroom, the younger teen desperately gripping his brother's shirt as they kissed deeply. Ryou finally broke off the kiss, gasping faintly for breath. He gazed up into Bakura's lust tinted crimson eyes. The older brother supported Ryou with one arm as he reached for his brother's shirt hem. The two quickly got the clothes off of each other and fell into the bathtub in a tangle of limbs.

X.X.X

With a beep the microwave signaled the end of the cooking time. Ryou lifted his small frame from the kitchen chair and pulled open the microwave door and lifted the plate out of it. Golden brown hash browns lay on top and next to them a pile of eggs. Bakura watched hungrily as Ryou carried it back to the table. A small plate lay on the table, lightly brown toast lying buttered on top. Ryou placed the plate down in front of Bakura before climbing up on top of his brother's lap. The two shared the plate of food, eating fast as it was almost time to leave for school.

Bakura quickly finished the last hash brown with a smile. Ryou grinned back then pressed his lips to Bakura's, stealing the bite from the older man's mouth. The teen hopped up from his brother's lap and headed over to the door to pull on his shoes. Bakura followed over to his brother to grab his own school shoes. Then the two grabbed their shoulder bags and headed out the door together.

Bakura led Ryou out to the driveway where his car was parked. The two slid into their seats and Bakura revved the engine. The car peeled out of the driveway and down the road, heading deeper into Domino and towards their new school.

X.X.X

Ryou hovered behind his brother nervously as they headed into Domino Central School. Bakura strode confidently through the halls, the students parting around him as he strode towards the school office. Ryou clung to his back, timidly following the man, fearfully watching as all the people passed past him, talking loud and brushing past him.

Finally the two reached the office, where an elderly secretary directed them to a pair of chairs to it in. Ryou shifted nervously in the plastic orange chair next to his brother, cautiously watching the receptionist and, through a window on the side of the office, the bustling students.

Finally the principal's door swung open and the administrator emerged. The man gestured for them to enter so they followed him into the plush room, sitting down in the chairs in front of the desk.

The boys had already met with the principal once and had gotten all of the necessary paper, like schedules and locker assignments, but the principal had wanted to meet with them once more before they started school, to make sure they understood everything.

The principal shook each of their hands before going to sit down in his own chair behind his desk.

"Hello again Mr. Bakura and Bakura Ryou. I hope you had no trouble with any of the paperwork you received." Bakura shook his head in a no to the man's silent question.

"Now, I am aware that you have toured the building but if you two would like it, I can get a student to show you around the school." Ryou glanced up nervously at that, muscles tensing for a brief moment before relaxing. However, Bakura, whose eyes had been watching Ryou's leg, saw the brief tightening of muscles.

"No thank you, Ryou and I will manage just fine." Ryou let out an imperceptible sigh at Bakura's response, the teen was nervous around other people and Bakura took steps to prevent the boy from being in awkward situations.

Bakura thanked the principal then they exchanged farewells. Ryou stood as Bakura stood and followed his brother out of the office. The two brothers headed out into the crowded, bustling halls. Ryou followed his brother as Bakura hunted for their lockers. They had been assigned adjoining lockers, per Bakura's request.

Finally the two teens made it to their lockers and dialed in their combinations, popping open the lockers and placing their extra notebooks inside. They had not received any class books yet so there was still room in their lockers for all the books. Ryou turned away from his locker and stood anxiously next to Bakura, shifting awkwardly next to Bakura from foot to foot.

"Hey, Ryou. You ok?"

Ryou glanced up at Bakura, startled by his brother's voice. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just all the people. I haven't been in crowds this large in a long time."

Bakura had a worried look on his face. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, just need some time to adjust. I'll be fine." Bakura studied his brother's face intently before turning away slightly and leaned against his locker. He closed his eyes and relaxed, just savoring the moment as his brother continued to place his school supplies in his locker. The sound of Ryou's locker clicking shut softly next to him stirred Bakura out of his reverie. He looked over to see Ryou staring at him, and Bakura used the time to admire the gentle curve of Ryou's jaw. He brother was just so damn sexy.

"Bakura." Ryou's soft lilting voice slowly sank into Bakura's mind but he tried ignored it, intent on just watching his brother. "Bakura."

"Hm?"

"Hon, we need to be heading to class if we don't want to be late." At that Bakura shook his head clear and gave Ryou a smile. The two boys thrust themselves into the bustling crowds, Bakura leading the way as Ryou stuck to the man's shadow. The older teen led the way into their first period class and found them seats in the back corner of the room. Ryou was seated in the corner desk and Bakura in the one next to him.

Only a few other students were in the room, and they were crowded around a desk in the back corner opposite Bakura and Ryou. A boy was seated in the desk, spiky sandy hair waving slightly as he turned to speak with everyone around him. Ryou found his eyes drifting over to that corner and he couldn't tear his eyes away, no matter how hard he tried. Large deep purple were set in a tanned face and everything was just so perfect. At that thought Ryou felt a guilty lurch in his heart. He shouldn't be thinking anything like that, especially with Bakura, _his perfect boyfriend_, right there.

Speaking of his boyfriend, Bakura had a curious look on his face; he had noticed Ryou's staring looks. Ryou gave a reassuring smile then turned his attention back to the front of the room, waiting for school to start and the teacher to arrive.

When the teacher began class Ryou and Bakura were forced to introduce themselves to the class. They had to stand in the front and tell their names and a little bit about themselves. When it was Ryou's turn to walk to the front he was trembling so badly his knees were knocking together harshly. The tanned boy's eyes were on Ryou as he advanced to the front. Bakura was also watching his brother nervously, he was not blind to Ryou's shaking and wished he could run up to the front and carry him back to the safety of their house.

"H-hi. I'm Ryou - Ryou Bakura. I-I grew up in New Jersey, U.S.A. and m-moved here three weeks ago with my b-brother. I l-like to read and paint. I'm only sixteen but I moved up several grades back in America. A-and that is about it."

Ryou blushed at the small stutter that was evident in his speech. All the eyes on him, _staring_, always staring at him. And they made him so very nervous, made him want to crawl in a hole and never come out. But Bakura needed to be in the hole with him. Ryou wouldn't want to be left alone without Bakura.

Ryou felt the others staring at him but one pair of eyes in particular were paying close attention. The tanned boy in the back was watching him intently, soaking up every little detail about the boy. While the sandy-haired boy was purely gorgeous Ryou mustn't even think about looking at him. Ryou was faithful to his brother, he was!

Bakura watched his younger brother retreat back to the corner, sitting down next to him. Bakura had seen the way the tanned boy had watched the teen as he talked and the very thought of someone crushing on Ryou made Bakura angry, angry enough to see a fine mist of red cloud his vision. The mist filtered away as the man felt his brother's hand gently touch his arm. Ryou still looked nervous but he directed Bakura's attention away from himself and towards the front of the room, where the teacher was beginning to lecture about something or the other. Bakura didn't even remember what class they had first period but _oh well_.

As soon as the bell rang for class Bakura shot out of his chair and quickly headed into the press of students outside the door, Ryou practically sprinting to keep up with his brother. The mysterious tanned boy slowly headed out after the two brothers in the same direction.

"Slow down Bakura." Ryou managed to gasp out one sentence but at the sound of his brother's voice Bakura instantly slowed his mad rush out of the class room and the halls. The teens were at their lockers anyway and they quickly busied themselves with opening their lockers and depositing last class's materials. Once again Bakura got finished before Ryou and stood waiting for his younger brother. Unnoticed, the tanned boy finished getting his materials out of a locker two down from Ryou.

X.X.X

(Don't feel like telling how their day went by, here's a short summary: Bakura sits by Ryou in each class, start making out in the gym locker room during gym class, and at lunch sit in a corner all by themselves at table to selves. Here's their schedule [set up like an American school:

1) Calculus

2) Advanced Japanese 12

3) Health

4) English 4

5) Gym

LUNCH

6) Chemistry

7) World Government

since they are in Japan they obviously must take Japanese as it is the native language

this is just a bit of a joke (not that funny though) cause they are suppose to be from America yet it is required, in this school, to take English, they get to take the 4th level since they already have lots of expertise in English and are seniors

an option at my school your senior year

Oh, and this is the end week of August, so Ryou's birthday is in a couple of days

And now we find them going to seventh period.)

X.X.X

"Where are we headed next Ryou?" Bakura's voice could barely be heard over the din in the crowded hallway.

"Bakura, don't you know our schedule yet?"

"No."

"Oh. Um, next period is World Government in room 109. I'm all done so let's go before we are late." The two teens thrust themselves back into the crowd of students, Bakura leading the way again. Ryou followed close in his brother's footsteps, flinching every time someone brushed up against him.

They were once again one of the first ones in the classroom but the tanned boy from first period was also in there, once again surrounded by his fan club. Bakura and Ryou took the seats in the back corner, opposite the tanned teen.

The bell soon rang for class to start and the teens got more textbooks and papers and had to introduce themselves once again. The whole time Ryou was up front the tanned teen was staring intently at him and the looks did not get past Bakura.

As soon as Ryou had seated himself the teacher, Mr. Tomonori (I know I'm using English honorifics but I prefer them) stood up and went to the front of the class room. "As most of you should remember, we are going to be starting a group project today on the various countries and their forms of governments. I have divided you into groups of twos _randomly_ since this is such a small class so now complaining. Now pay attention because I am only going to read the list of groups once. Yoshe and Anoka are group one. Mari and Caedryn are group two. Group three is Ryou and Marik. Bakura and Sadiki are group four."

At that point Ryou stopped paying attention. He was separated from Bakura. He could feel himself trembling but the teen did nothing to stop it. He _couldn't_ be separated from Bakura, he _couldn't_. Next to Ryou sat Bakura, who was also shaking, but in anger. How _dare_ Mr. Tomonori separate him from his brother. Bakura glanced over and saw his brother trembling, chocolate brown eyes darting back and forth nervously.

As Mr. Tomonori finished reading the list of groups and as the students quickly found their partners Bakura stood up from his desk and strode to the front of the room, anger evident in his eyes.

"Mr. Tomonori, may I talk to you for a moment please." Bakura kept his voice low, struggling to keep his anger in check.

"Yes, Bakura, what can I do for you?"

"I need my brother Ryou to be in my group. He has a fear of others and can not stand being separated from me, even for group projects like this one."

"Bakura, I'm afraid I cannot do that for you. The groups have been selected and it would be unfair of me to change them just to accommodate two people. And it is time your brother learns how to take care of himself and be alone. Now, if you would excuse me Bakura, I must hand out the syllabuses and go over the assignment again. Please find your seat next to Sadiki." Mr. Tomonori turned away from Bakura and grabbed up a pile of papers from his desk.

Bakura angrily turned away from the teacher and started for his original seat. But someone was already sitting in it. The tanned teen was seated in his seat, softly talking to Ryou, even though Ryou was so scared he was practically falling out of his seat so he could get away from Marik.

The only other available seat in the classroom was next to a short skinny boy on the opposite side of the classroom as Ryou. Bakura reluctantly slunk over to the seat and plopped down, his book bag still on his shoulder from when he and Ryou entered the classroom. The short skinny kid looked over at Bakura before rolling his eyes.

Over on the opposite side of the room Ryou was desperately trying to get away from Marik but at the same time not fall out of his seat. The tanned teen wasn't overbearing or anything, he was just good at making his presence known, practically forcing people to acknowledge him. And that was something Ryou did not want to do. _Not at all_.

Mr. Tomonori walked around the room, passing out sheets of paper with the guidelines of the project typed on it. When he was finished he returned to the front of the classroom.

"Now, everything you need to know about the project is on the paper in front of you so I don't need to here any questions. I am not going to be giving you any time in class besides today so you will be working with your partners outside of school. That shouldn't be too mush of a problem for you since I know that all of you have no lives. Now get planning but don't be too loud."

Marik turned to face Ryou, a small smile dancing at the corners of his lips. Ryou couldn't help but notice how _absolutely_ stunning the teen was but Ryou needed to get away Marik and back to the safety of the bubble that Bakura projected. The teen was trembling violently, limbs shaking so hard he felt like they would just shake themselves right off.

"Hey, Ryou, you alright?"

The sound of Marik's voice startled Ryou and with a squeak he fell sideways out of his chair. In an instant Marik was by his side, helping the trembling teen up. _Oh gosh, even his touch was gentle and soft. No Ryou, must not think like that._ Poor Ryou was so scared because of the unexplained feelings he felt towards the senior and it just wasn't right, with him being Bakura's boyfriend and all.

Marik could feel the boy's trembling through the grip he had on Ryou's arm. "Yeah, are you alright?"

Ryou licked his lips nervously, trying to form words any words. Marik watched the little pink tongue as it dart forth. "I-I'm f-fine." The stutter was back along with a deep blush.

Marik laughed softly at the teen's blush, the boy was so cute when he looked like that. "You have any preferences as to the country that we do?"

It took a moment for the words to filter into Ryou's head; he was more concerned with stopping the shaking. Slowly his legs stopped, and then his arms, except his left hand still twitched faintly. Ryou looked up to see Marik gazing at him, back in Bakura's old seat. "Um, I-I don't h-have a p-preference."

"Oh, well in that case, I think we should do Egypt. I used to live there so I have a lot of material we can use for our project."

"E-Egypt sounds f-fine to me." Marik laughed again, this time at the little stutter that was always present in the teen's speech.

"You want to come over to my house tonight and work on the project?"

"I-I don't know." Ryou didn't want to go to anyone's house; he just wanted to stay home with Bakura.

"My house is clean, don't worry. And I live alone with my brother since my parents died so no old fogies to interrupt us." Ryou's eyes widened at that but he hid his reaction by letting his hair cover his eyes.

"I-I don't know. Its o-our first d-day here and B-Bakura probably wants m-me to be h-home tonight."

"Why does it matter what Bakura wants? He isn't your mother."

"B-but he is m-my legal g-guardian."

"Oh, well I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came over for a bit. It is for school after all. Come on, you can't say no, I insist. We can go right when school gets over, I'll drive us." Marik looked expectant at Ryou, there was no way he was taking no for answer. "Great."

The bell rang loudly, piercing the awkward silence that had fallen between the two teens. Marik jumped up from his seat and grabbed Ryou's arm, pulling him from the room and into the hallway. The older teen led them to their lockers (remember that there is Ryou's locker then two more lockers, then Marik's locker).

Ryou and Marik left the classroom so quickly that by the time Bakura turned around in his seat and stood up they had already left. Seeing that Ryou was gone scared Bakura. He dashed frantically from the room, head whipping back and forth as he tried to remember the way back to his locker from this classroom. _Why would Ryou of left? He is not capable of being by himself, he needed Bakura there always._ Bakura turned right and pushed his way through the crowded hallways. Domino High School was not a large one but Bakura somehow got lost. _How the hell did I get lost? I always know where I am and how I got there. It must be due to my worrying over where Ryou is._ Bakura turned down another hallway and grinned as he realized that this was the hallway his locker was at.

Marik leaned on Bakura's locker as Ryou finished digging out the books he needed for his homework. The older teen had already gathered his books from his locker, only two lockers away from Ryou's. As soon as the pale teen finished Marik gripped his wrist and headed for the outside doors, opposite the way Bakura was coming from. The older teen led Ryou out through the main doors and into the student parking lot. Marik kept his grip tightly on Ryou's wrist, steering him through the cars to an expensive looking dark green Corvette (don't worry, the motorcycle will show up later, I find this a bit more convenient). Another teen was leaning against the passenger door of the Corvette, book bag slung carelessly over his shoulder. He looked a lot like Marik but there was enough of a difference to tell them apart. Marik's brother was slightly shorter than Marik but still taller than Ryou. However he looked to be about Ryou's age (16 if you don't remember). (Ok, you should all know what Malik looks so enough of the description.)

"Bout time you fricken' showed up."

"Shut up. Ryou, this is Malik, my brother. Malik, this is Ryou." Marik left the conversation at that and unlocked the doors with a click of the automatic door opener (I love those things), still keeping his grasp on Ryou's wrist as if the younger teen might sprout wings and fly away like a delicate butterfly if Marik were to let go off him.

Malik opened up the passenger door and slid inside, not even sparing a second glance at Ryou. Marik finally let go of Ryou's wrist after he opened up the door behind Malik. He helped Ryou slide into the car before shutting the door like a gentleman. Marik went to the other side of the car and placed his book bag on the seat next to Ryou before clambering into the driver's seat.

Ryou quickly buckled up his seatbelt as Marik peeled out of the parking lot. The radio was on faintly, filling the silence with soft rock music. The teen quickly merged into the traffic and turned for the nicer part of Domino. The car was quiet for a long time, each person in his own world until Marik interrupted the peaceful atmosphere.

"You'll need to call your brother when we arrive, he's probably wondering where you disappeared to." Ryou's head shot up at that comment, he had forgotten all about that in the way Marik had been dragging him around so fast. The car continued to roll forward into the posher neighborhoods.

X.X.X (speaking of Bakura)

Bakura finally pushed his way to his locker but Ryou was not there. Bakura's breath hitched in the back of his throat. He quickly reached out and gripped the arm of the kid whose locker was next to his. The boy he had a grip on was a tall blond haired boy.

"Have you seen my brother?"

"No man. Did ya lose him or sometin?" With an angry snarl Bakura thrust the kid away from him and turned to his locker. Ryou should have his cell phone with him since the older teen had made sure he knew to carry it with him at all time.

Bakura fished out all of his school books then shut his locker and headed for the entrance. The school had a rule that cell phones were not to be used inside the school and Bakura needed to get outside so he could call Ryou.

Once Bakura was on the pathway in front of the building he pulled out his cell phone, a sleek black one that could easily fit into the palm of his hand. He quickly speed-dialed his brother and listened to the rings.

X.X.X

The cheesy ring tone of Ryou's cell phone was the first noise in the car since Marik had reminded Ryou about calling Bakura. The phone began the song once again as Ryou dug through the pockets of his book bag, trying to find it. Marik peered at Ryou through the rearview mirror, interest evident in his eyes. At last Ryou found his phone and pulled it out. He had chosen a silver flip phone, small and compact. He flipped it open and read the caller id screen.

"Bonjour?" Bakura insisted on Ryou using French if he was near others, a way of Bakura knowing that people where around Ryou and a way to keep their conversation private.

"Ryou, ou est-ce que vous?" (Sorry, my French isn't the greatest. Bakura just asked where Ryou is at. The rest of the conversation is written in English but spoken in French.)

"I'm with Marik. He kind of forced me to go home with him to work on the World Government project."

"What kind of forced?" Ryou could hear the barely disguised anger in Bakura's voice.

"He dragged me to my locker then dragged me out to his car. Don't worry though," Ryou cut off Bakura before he could start ranting about how he was going to hurt Marik. "I am not all alone with him; his brother is in the car with me."

"I still don't want you with him. Tell me where he lives and I am coming over there to pick you up."

"Bakura, as much as I just want to go home to you, he does have a point. I have to do this project sometime. But to make my darling happy I will get his address. Hold on a moment."

Ryou leaned forward in his seat, getting Marik and Malik's attention. "W-where exactly are w-we g-going? Bakura needs to know t-the address to pick me up t-tonight." Marik raised an eyebrow but rattled off an address. Ryou did not know where exactly Marik's house was but he was sure Bakura would recognize it.

Ryou turned back to the phone and rattled off the address to Bakura. Bakura recognized the address; it was in the nicest part of the city but something else about the address seemed to ring in the back of Bakura's mind. He pushed it away, he would worry about it when Ryou got back home.

"Ok, if you want to stay there. But if anything -_anything_- happens, you call me immediately. Got that love?"

"Of course. I'll call you when I need to be picked up. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye."

"Bye." Ryou ended the call with Bakura and looked up to see Marik's eyes watching him in the rearview mirror and Malik turned around to watch him.

"Do you always hold your conversations in French?"

"Um, y-yeah. Bakura thinks it is g-good practice for me."

"You sure do know a lot of languages." Malik spoke for the first time during the whole car ride.

"I know English, Japanese, Fr-French, a bit of Russian, and a tiny amount of German. When my parents were alive we m-moved around a lot."

"Marik whistled, long and low. "Wow, not too bad."

Ryou blushed, his face turning bright red. "Thanks." The car slowed down, then turned into a driveway. Ryou turned to look out the window and gasped. Marik's house was gigantic. A long concrete driveway led up to a huge mansion. The building was built of a grey stone material, and it was easily four stories tall, possibly five. The whole place was surrounded by a stone wall and behind Marik's car a large ornate iron gate clanged shut. Large gardens of flowers, with patches of grass in between, lay sprawled out in front yard.

Marik laughed at Ryou's expression of astonishment. "You like my house?"

"Wow! I mean, it is really nice. And b-big, very big." At that Malik let out a short laugh, almost like a bark. Ryou's head shot up at the noise, clearly startled. The other teen snorted at Ryou's nervousness before turning back around and opening the door. The car had stopped in front of the house and as Malik climbed out Marik also jumped out of driver's seat and hurried around the car to open Ryou's door. The younger teen grabbed his book bag and scooted out of the car through the open door. As soon as Ryou cleared the interior of the car Marik leaned in to get his school bag.

When he emerged from the inside of the car Marik noticed Ryou staring amazed at the manor. "You plan on coming in anytime soon?"

Ryou turned at the sound of Marik's voice. He smiled, a small grin that barely lifted the corners of his mouth. But Marik thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "A-after you."

Malik had already headed into the house and now Marik led Ryou through the front door. The boys entered a large foyer, and Ryou let out another gasp. The place was just so huge. The floor was covered in polished white tiles, with black swirled in with the white. A small, delicate looking table stood off to one side and on it was perched a light green vase. Large scenery paintings lined the wooden paneled walls. Marik stood by patiently while Ryou admired the graceful features of the house.

"We should work in the library."

"Y-you have your own library?"

"Yep." Ryou's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Wow." Marik grinned, a flash of white against his tanned face. He directed Ryou into the library and left to go get some snacks. Ryou looked around in amazement as he strolled through the bookshelves. The room was as big as Ryou's kitchen, living room, and dining room put together. And this was just one room in Marik's house. There were a lot of books in the room but not all of the shelves contained books but rather rare collectibles, most from Egypt. Ryou paused in front of a large bust of a pharaoh, a pensive look on the statue's face.

"Oh, hello." Ryou whipped his head to face Malik who had come up behind the pale youth. "I didn't know you where in here."

"Um, h-hello." The two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Ryou nervously shifted on his feet, waiting for the other teen to do something. Malik just stood there, watching Ryou through his kohl rimmed lilac eyes. The staring was making Ryou awkward and nervous. He could feel the eyes, boring into him, pressing and pressing on him.

"Ryou, where did you go?" Marik's voice interrupted the awkward silence between the two teens.

"I'm o-over here." Marik followed the sound of Ryou's voice, threading his way through the bookshelves. The older teen's mauve eyes widened marginally when he saw Ryou standing with Malik but he hid his surprise well.

"I have the table all set up and I got us some snacks to munch on." Ryou nodded, and, as Marik turned away gave a small wave to Malik before following the other teen. The tall boy led the pale youth over to a small wooden table in the middle of the library. Several books were piled on the tabletop and a small tray full of munchies (like M&Ms, Tootsie Rolls, cheese-flavored chips and fruit snacks, along with a pair of Pepsi twenty ounces) lay on the side. Ryou dropped his book bag next one of the chairs, Marik's bag lay next to the other chair.

Ryou raised an eyebrow at the sight of the junk food, skepticism plainly evident in his voice. "Is this your idea of snacks?"

"Yep!" Ryou smiled faintly at the reply before seating himself in one of the cushioned chairs at the table. Marik sat opposite the boy and they both pulled out their syllabuses for the project. The rest of the afternoon passed in quiet silence, the teens outlining what they wanted to do exactly for their projects and beginning to look up information on their chosen country. Marik was a well of information, having lived fourteen years of his life there. The only speaking was the quiet murmuring as they discussed the project. After a bit Malik wandered in from the depths of the library to sit and chat with the two teens.

Ryou sighed as he pulled his nose out of another book. His butt was sore from having sat for such a long time and he really, _really,_ had to go to the bathroom. "Um, Marik, where's th-the bathroom?"

Marik grinned inwards as he noticed the boy's slight stutter had disappeared and he was much more comfortable around the Egyptian. "Go through the door and take a left, down the hall and another left. Then it's the third door on the right."

Ryou nodded as he committed the directions to memory. The house really was gigantic. The pale youth slid from his seat and walked through the door at the end of library.

As soon as Ryou's foot vanished from view Marik pulled out his cell phone. "Excuse me Malik, phone calls to make."

Marik punched in several numbers then hit the call button. Several rings met Marik's ears before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"It's me. I have another target for you."

"I'm listening."

"Look in your mailbox, the envelope is in there. And I would appreciate it if you got started tonight, the sooner the better."

"Of course." Marik hit the end button the tossed his cell phone on top of his book bag. He looked up to meet Malik's eyes.

"It has been started, two down already and another will be begun tonight. Just leaves four more to go."

"That's good." The two lapsed into silence once again, awaiting Ryou's return.

**luckycatshadow** - Wow, sixteen pages of just the first chapter. When I hit a streak I just type like crazy. Then my mom kicks me off the computer (big meanie). Now I just need to get the next chapters flowing. Well, bye now.

And I was looking over the next chapter and there is a lemon in it so hold on, it is coming. And if you don't like that kind of stuff – bug off.

Luff you all.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Name: Night Stalker???

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

And there is a lemon in this chapter (I find it a bit mild but depends on your view of lemon ratings).

Disclaimer: Listen up cause I hate to repeat myself. I…Do…Not…Own…Yugiouu... So…Do…Not…Sue…Me.

There, all done.

X.X.X

Malik broke the silence that had lapsed again. "You like him, don't you?"

"Who?"

"Ryou of course."

Marik paused for a moment, face winkled in concentration. After a long moment he hesitantly opened his mouth to speak. "I-I think so. Well, as much as you can like someone after only knowing them for only a day. He's really cute and his personality is just so adorable and he intrigues me. And there's the fact of his brother and what I can use that for."

Malik nodded, he did see where his brother was coming from. Ryou was really cute, in every sense. But Malik already had a special someone. Speaking of which, he needed to go call his boyfriend. Malik stood up and left the library right as Ryou reentered. Ryou returned to the table, a question in his coffee brown eyes. "Where is Malik going?"

"Probably to go call his boyfriend." Marik looked at his watch. "It is that time of the afternoon. We won't see him for the rest of the night. His boyfriend moved last year so they call each other every night." (AN – that's cause I don't know who should be his boyfriend, so any ideas, tell me)

"Oh." Ryou slid into his seat and picked up a book to continue his research. As he flipped a page a glossy color photograph slid out from between the pages and onto Ryou's lap. He picked it up and looked at it with interest. It was a picture of a teen with black hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and green eyes (Otogi, duh). The boy was sitting on a bench in a park, his arm slung around a younger Marik's shoulder, a smile gracing his lips. "Hey, Marik, who is this?"

Marik leaned over, so he could see the photo. His breath tingled on Ryou's cheek and he could feel a shiver run down his spine. "Oh, that was my boyfriend. He died in a car crash two years ago."

"Oh, I'm-I'm so sorry." Marik's admittance gave Ryou plenty of information; that he was gay and that he had felt loss before. Ryou placed the photo on the table in front of him and Marik leaned back in his chair.

"Nah, it's cool. He was an abusing jerk anyway. I'm over him. Moving on to more loving, caring guys."

"I know how that is. I once had a boyfriend like that. An abusive jerk through and through. But I moved over that hurdle." Well, Ryou wasn't really lying, Bakura was technically his boyfriend and in the beginning Bakura had been forceful because Ryou had believed that he shouldn't have been in the relationship but things smoothed out over time. Ryou had never said that he had broken up with the boyfriend, just that things worked out in the end, so he never lied to Marik. Ryou's conscience wouldn't have liked that.

All of a sudden Ryou's phone rang, _Elephantine_ ringing through the library. He fumbled around his book bag, finally coming up with his cell.

"Bonjour?" (Once again, spoken in French, typed in English)

"Ryou, look, something came up for work and I can't come pick you up for a couple of hours. Try and see if Marik can drop you off at home."

"Ok, hold on and I'll ask him." Ryou held the phone away from his face and turned to face Marik. "Do you think you could drop me off at home when we get finished?"

"Um, yeah, sure." Ryou smiled, a beam that seemed to shoot straight into Marik's heart.

"Thanks." He turned back to the cell phone and Bakura. "He said yes. What time do you think you'll be home?"

"Late, so Ryou, I don't want you to stay up tonight."

"But 'Kura, you know I can't sleep unless your there. What am I suppose to do?"

"I don't know; sit in front of the TV until your eyes fall shut. I'll wake you up when I get home and we'll go up to bed. How does that sound?"

"I don't want to. I know, I wait on the couch, reading and listening to my music 'til you get home and then we'll go up to bed."

"Ryou, you have school tomorrow."

"So do you."

Bakura sighed, a sound heard clearly over the phone. "Not the point."

"It is my point."

"Ryou, you need your sleep. You are not used to pulling all nighters like I am. I can manage school the next day but you won't be able to concentrate. Please Ryou, just try to sleep."

"I'll try, but no guarantees. Ok?"

Bakura groaned, Ryou was not going to be convinced otherwise. He would be awake when he got home and nothing Bakura would say would change Ryou's mind. "Ok."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

"Bye my koishii"

"Farewell my tenshi." Ryou hit the end button when the last of Bakura's voice faded away. Marik was not paying any attention to him, instead turning his eyes to the photograph that Ryou had placed on the table during their boyfriend conversations. The tanned teen had an odd look on his face, one that Ryou could not place. Finally he shook his head and returned his attention to the project. Reluctantly Ryou followed his lead and began flipping through the books once again. He really wanted to get to know Marik more, to find out why the Egyptian made his stomach feel all funny and the air in his chest all tight.

Ryou glanced down at his watch and gasped. The lights read 6:47 in green glowing numbers. "Um, Marik, I think its time I head home."

Marik glanced up at Ryou's words, glancing at the grandfather clock behind Ryou's head. "You're right; I better take you home now."

Ryou stood up, stuffing his books and papers back into his shoulder bag. Marik stood up with him, grabbing some M&Ms for the road. The two boys headed out the front door and down the driveway, to the Corvette, still parked outside. Ryou climbed into the front seat as Marik slid into the driver's side.

The two drove to Ryou's house in silence, the only words spoken were when Ryou directed Marik to his house. Ryou letting his head fall back against the head rest as he let his mind drift back along the first day of school at Domino High. It was really exciting, Marik was like his friend and Ryou never had an actual friend before (as long as you don't count Bakura).

The tanned teen pulled into Ryou's driveway and shut off the engine. Marik shifted in his seat so he could face Ryou. He caught Ryou's chocolate eyes with a serious look on his face. "Ryou, I-I enjoyed spending today with you. Maybe we could be friends, if you don't mind - of course."

All Ryou could do was blink, he never _ever_ had a friend before. The pale adolescent blinked a couple more times, then a few times more. Marik watched and waited, a curious expression on his face. Finally Ryou opened his mouth but no words came out. He shut his mouth then opened it again. "I-I, yes."

Then he threw himself over the middle of the car and flung his arms around Marik's neck. The tanned teen's eyes widened in surprise but he returned the hug warily, slowly relaxing into it. Ryou seemed to fit into his arms perfectly, like he was made for Marik's hands. The hug lasted for a couple of seconds before Ryou pulled away.

Marik reluctantly released the teen from his grip and when he looked up the ivory-haired teen had tears glimmering in his eyes. As Marik watched Ryou's face a trail of wetness traced a path down his face. The Egyptian reached a trembling hand forward and wiped the tear from the boy's face, looking at the small drop of water on his finger curiously. The older teen let his eyes drift back up to Ryou's chocolate orbs, brimming with tears. "Um Ryou, if you don't mind me asking, what's the matter?"

"I-I've never…" The teen dissolved into tears again, streams of tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Ryou, was it something I said?"

All the white-haired youth could do was shake his head no; hair flying about wildly and the tears still pouring down his face. On impulse Marik leaned over and wrapped his arms around Ryou again, hoping to give his companion some comfort. The tanned teen whispered soothing nothings, trying to calm Ryou.

"Ryou, I need to tell you what's wrong."

"It-its just I've," _hic_, "I've never had another friend besides Bakura. And now," _hic_, "you want to be my friend and," _hic_, "I don't even know how," _hic_, "to be a proper friend. I'm," _hic_ "scared, I don't want," _hic_, "to lose my first real friend," _hic_, "and I'm so glad that you," _hic_, "want to my friend. Th-thank you."

Marik grinned and reluctantly released his grip on Ryou. "I'm glad you're my friend and I hope we stay friends for a long _long_ time."

The two boys sat in the car for a long time, just enjoying each other's company and the peace and quiet. Finally Ryou shifted from his position against Marik's chest. He was starting to feel cramped, having been leaning against the other teen for a half of an hour now, across the middle compartment of the car. "I-I need to be going in now. But, um, thanks - for everything."

Marik reached over and hugged Ryou once again before leaning back and letting Ryou grasp the passenger door handle and push the door open. "Bye Marik. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Ryou. Till tomorrow." Ryou climbed out of the car and grabbed his shoulder bag, slinging it over one shoulder and waving at Marik before he gently shut the door with a quiet click. Marik remained in Ryou's driveway until Ryou had safely entered the front door of the house. Then he allowed his car to pull out of the driveway and spun down the road, tires screeching and leaving behind burning rubber marks.

Inside the house Ryou leaned against the front door, letting his back slide down to the floor. He could still the warmth of Marik's arms around him, holding him as true friend. He had never been hugged before by someone else besides Bakura. It felt good to just be held. But there was something else he had felt when Marik had held him. Something that stirred whenever Bakura held him. Something that Ryou did not want to think about because it might lead to some questioning thoughts.

The teen pushed himself off of the door and kicked off his shoes. He padded into the kitchen and pulled out the tea kettle out of the cabinet. After filling it with water he placed it on the stove and turned the heat on. The platinum haired boy strolled upstairs and into the bedroom he shared with Bakura, stripping off his clothes as he went. Ryou padded back down the steps after changing into a pair of black running pants, a white stripe running down the side of the legs, and a soft forest green turtleneck.

The boy curled up on the couch with a mug of tea in his hand, absently staring at the blank TV screen. Finally Ryou stood up and retrieved his book bag, pulling out his homework. The teen worked silently, occasionally sipping his rapidly cooling tea. The hours ticked away silently as the boy worked. As soon as he got finished he fetched Bakura's book bag and did his brother's homework. As soon as that option was exhausted the teen grabbed a book off of his shelf and a CD case. The house remained silent; the only noise ringing was the sound of the clock whistling like a train two times as two o'clock was struck and the soft sound of music floating from the stereo system.

A click of the door swinging shut was the only warning that Ryou had. However the teen did not hear the forewarning, being too wrapped up in his music. The shadowy figure snuck up behind the teen and wrapped his arms around the youth.

Ryou's eyes widened and his body leapt up a foot off the couch as he felt arms enclose around his neck. The teen twisted around, coming face to face with his brother. Ryou's body slumped forward and the boy let out a sigh, though he could not stop the shaking in his limbs. He leaned back against the couch to stare into his brother's crimson eyes. "Oh, oh, Bakura, you-you scared me."

"I'm sorry koi; I just didn't want to disturb you. You seem so caught up in your music. Speaking of which, what are we listening to?"

"Oh, um, it's the new Nightwish CD, _Once_." (A/N - I know, it's an American CD but Ryou and Bakura do know English. Duh!)

Bakura released his hold on Ryou's shoulders and jumped over the back of the couch to sit next to his brother. Ryou instantly curled up into Bakura's side, half on his brother's chest and half off. Together they laid on the couch, just listening to the music, wrapped up in the presence of each other. Finally as the last words of the song faded Bakura rose to his feet, pulling Ryou up with him. The older teenager grabbed up the stereo remote and switched off the music. Ryou noticed the concerned look on Bakura's face.

"Ryou, love, did you eat supper?"

Ryou's eyes darted up to his brother's face, but he was careful to hide his startled expression. _There goes my brother again. Just cause I don't _like_ to eat doesn't mean he needs to be on my case all the time. I'm not anorexic!_ Ryou smiled, a little grin that seemed to light up his whole face. _And hopefully I can convince Kura that I'm not lying, even though I am._ But his chest felt heavy at the thought of lying to Bakura, his love.

"Of course I did. I ate a whole bunch of snacks and junk food at Marik's and when I got home I had one of those microwavable pizzas."

Ryou blinked his large doe eyes at his brother and Bakura just melted. The older teen bent down and captured Ryou's soft rose petal lips with his own. The two teens backed up slowly to fall upon the couch. Bakura hungrily devoured his brother, enjoying the cinnamon and honey taste of his brother. His tongue licked at Ryou's bottom lip, demanding entrance. The younger teen acquiesced, parting his lips for his brother. Bakura's tongue dived deep into Ryou's mouth, licking at his lover's tongue. Slowly Ryou slid his hands under his brother's shirt, feeling the hard muscles underneath. Bakura gasped as Ryou tweaked first one nipple, then the other one. The two parted long enough for Ryou to pull off Bakura's shirt and for Bakura to do the same to his brother.

Bakura carefully rolled his brother over so Ryou was pinned to the couch. The older teen released his brother's lips and trailed little butterfly kisses down Ryou's jaw and neck, sliding down to Ryou's chest. The younger teen reached down and pulled Bakura's head up, and planted a brief but passionate kiss on his lips. Bakura groaned and quickly reached down, struggling to wiggle Ryou's running pants off. Ryou was at the same time working to get Bakura's pants off. The two finally succeeded in their desperate struggles and quickly locked their lips back together. Bakura slid a finger into Ryou's passage, smiling against Ryou's lips at the boy's faint gasp. He added a second, then a third finger and began scissoring them back and forth roughly (1). His brother stiffened at the intrusion then relaxed, moaning deeply into Bakura's moan.

Finally Bakura could take it no longer. Abruptly he pulled his fingers out, and then slammed his hardened length into the fragile teen below him. Ryou gasped, breaking contact with Bakura's lips. Bakura pushed himself deeper into his brother, moaning slightly at the warmth that surrounded his manhood. The feeling of being surrounded by his brother turned him on even more, causing him to thrust even deeper and harder into Ryou. The younger teen arched his back and cried out, a sound that only fueled Bakura even more. Reaching between them, he grasped Ryou's hardening member, pumping it in rhythm to his thrusts. The younger teen could not take it any more, with a small cry he released into his brother's hand. A few moments later Bakura came into Ryou's passage. For several long moments the two lay on the couch silently, struggling to regain their breath back.

Bakura was the first one to move, groaning as he pulled out of Ryou. He stood up with trembling legs, and gathered their clothing. Bakura paused, letting his eyes roam over the panting figure of his brother. He bent down and planted a soft kiss on Ryou's cheek. The young teen moaned at the loss of Bakura's warmth. The man smiled and went up the stairs to put their clothes away.

When he got back down Ryou was half-sitting up, propped up against the arm of the couch. The younger boy had grabbed a tissue out of the box and used it to clean his chest off. Bakura leaned down and scooped up his fragile brother. The older teen frowned at the lightness of Ryou; it was obvious that Ryou had skipped supper. Bakura betted that if he went into the kitchen there would be no microwavable pizza wrapper in the trash receptacle. He made a vow at that moment, from that point on Ryou would eat properly, even if Bakura had to force the food down his throat. He couldn't let Ryou suffer, it would tear him apart.

Ryou's POV (third person)

The two teens headed up the steps silently, Ryou's eyes watching every expression that crossed Bakura's face. He couldn't but help marveling at the beauty that was his brother. Ryou didn't know how he managed to be lucky enough to get such a handsome and sexy boyfriend. He sighed, a soft murmur that floated on the air. His brother glanced down at the sound of the noise and placed a light butterfly kiss on Ryou's nose. Ryou sighed again; his brother knew just how to make him feel loved.

Normal POV

Bakura used his foot to push the bedroom door open all the way and swiftly strode over to the large bed. He gently placed Ryou down on the sheets before climbing in himself. The younger teen rolled to face his brother and wrapped his arms around Bakura's chest, listening to the gentle pounding of his heart. Ryou drifted off to sleep first, a peaceful expression gracing his face.

Bakura just lay there, breathing in the smell of Ryou's conditioner. He shifted so that Ryou's upper body was lying on Bakura's chest and the younger teen's head rested on his brother's shoulder. The older teen watched his brother's chest rise and fall with each shallow breath he took. _How did I ever get blessed with such a boyfriend? And he is all mine, no one can take him away from me. Ryou is all mine and I will love him for all eternity. My personal precious tenshi._

X.X.X.

Bakura nuzzled the warmth in front of him, trying to block out the horrible screeches of the alarm clock. With a sigh he surrendered and sat up, reaching over and pulling the alarm clock out of the electric socket. Bakura looked down, his visage softening as he gazed upon the soft, serene face of his brother. The younger teen was sleeping peacefully, having not even been disturbed by the alarm. Bakura was tempted to just lie back and go back to sleep but Ryou would get mad at him for making them late to school. With a small noise of reluctance he bent down and shook Ryou's shoulder.

Ryou rolled over to his other side and swatted at Bakura's hand, mumbling something under his breath about a painting contest. The man grinned and bent down, licking and nipping Ryou's sensitive ear. His brother woke up right away, lifting his head so fast he smacked his forehead into his Bakura's. The other stumbled back, rubbing his forehead and muttering oaths under his breath. Ryou lay sprawled on the bed, moaning quietly. Bakura leaned back over the bed, staring down at the spread-eagle figure of his brother. Ryou groaned as he pulled his head up.

"What was that for?" Bakura couldn't help but smirk at his brother's disgruntled look.

"You need to get up or you'll be late for school." At that Ryou leapt out of the bed, nearly hitting Bakura again, and raced for the bathroom. Bakura rolled out of the bed and onto the floor before climbing to his feet to head after Ryou. A small giggle was heard from the room before the shower started up.

X.X.X.

Ryou bounded into Domino High with a broad smile on his face. Bakura followed him more sedately but Ryou didn't really mind. He was too excited to be going back to school and seeing his first friend again. He eagerly pushed open the front doors and elbowed his way through the bustling crowds towards his locker. Marik had already gathered his books and was leaning against Ryou's locker, waiting for his friend. The pale teen could feel his heart perform a strange little pitter-patter before speeding up really fast.

"Hey Mare!" Marik couldn't help but smile at the younger teen's excitement, but the nickname was a little strange.

"Mare?" The tanned teen raised an eyebrow as Ryou bounced over next to him.

"Yeah."

"Cute." Marik lifted himself off of the locker and stood patiently as Ryou gathered his books. As soon as he finished the two headed off their first class, they both had Calculus together. Bakura was left standing bewildered at his open locker. _ Where did Ryou think he was going? How could he leave me? How DARE he?_

Bakura angrily threw his backpack into his locker and slammed the door shut. He didn't want to think about Ryou losing his dependency on him. Ryou always waited for him, never did his brother _dare_ to leave him behind.

(1) – I know Bakura isn't using any lubrication, he's a really big sadist and Ryou is kind of a masochist from being with Bakura for so long.

luckycatshadow- ooh, a little twist there at the end. This is without doubt the shortest chapter I have ever _ever_ written; only seven pages. Hope y'all enjoyed. But the chapters will probably be shorter in coming so I can post them up faster. And I shall try to post the first chapter of my other story _Shattered Rain_ (tentative title mind you). Here's the summary of that story.

Ryou is kidnapped by Marik, for the spirit's obsession for the boy has overwhelmed him. How far will the spirit go to get the one thing that, until now, had been beyond his reach? And what will be revealed in the process? YAOI MXR and minor RXB


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: this beautiful author owns nothing by the name of Yugiouu.

Um, guys, please try to be a little more appreciative of my writing. At I start this third chapter I have 3 reviews and yet have 273 hits. Lame guys, lame. (Lame is my word of the week.)

X.X.X.

Advanced Japanese 12

Ryou stretched his legs under his desk; they were getting cramped from lying in the same position all class period. Marik looked over at him from his seat next to him, a small grin finding his face as he observed the look of discomfort on the pale teen's face. Ryou caught the look and stuck his tongue out at Marik in reply. _It's amazing how much the young teen had opened up in just the span of two periods. He's a lot different from the stuttering teen I had just met yesterday._

Marik could feel eyes burning into his back. The Egyptian turned slightly and peeked behind him as subtle as he could. Ryou's brother, Bakura, was seated in a corner and was sending death glares at Marik's back. Marik turned around to face the front of the room, wondering about Bakura's hatred towards him. But the Egyptian shrugged it off, turning to slip a note onto Ryou's desk. There was nothing important on the note, just a random conversation the two had been sharing. Right now they were sharing the cheesiest pickup lines they had ever heard used. (1) The Egyptian wasn't even sure how they had gotten on that topic.

Note

_Marik: __I may not be Fred Flintstone, but I bet I can make your Bed Rock._

_Ryou: __My love for you is like the energizer bunny, it keeps going and going..._

_Marik: Roses are red, violets are blue, I like spaghetti, let's go screw._

_Ryou: If you were a new hamburger at McDonald's, you would be McGorgeous._

_Marik: Wanna Play House? You be the screen door and I'll slam you all night long._

_Ryou: You must be Jamaican, because Jamaican me crazy._

_Marik: If your left leg was Thanksgiving and your right leg Christmas, can I visit you between the Holidays?_

Ryou blushed deeply at that one and turned to look at Marik. The older teen was sprawled in his seat, a grin stretched across his face. The pale teen bent down and continued on with the note.

Bakura leaned down even farther in his chair a scowl creeping its way across his face. Thankfully the bell rang at that moment and the teacher dismissed the students. Ryou stood up alongside Marik, turning to talk to his new friend.

_Flashback_

_Seven year-old Ryou waked through the empty halls, watching out for the other occupants of the house. The cold air was stirred by no one, save the petite whitehead. The boy walked towards a door at the end of the hall, quietly pushing open the door. The room was empty but Ryou knew it would not be for long. The boy sat down on the bed, patiently waiting for his roommate._

_Ryou had only been seated on the edge of the bed before he felt an arm wrap around his throat and a second arm wrap around his waist. The boy could not help but jump in surprise. A soft chuckle was heard behind him before the arms unwound themselves from their positions._

"_I got you." Ryou shivered as the words were whispered into his ear, the cold breath whooshing across the back of his neck._

'_Yeah, you got me alright." Ryou turned around to face his assailant, his chocolate eyes immediately drawn to ten year-old Bakura's darker, crimson orbs._

"_Jaylon (2) was showing me how to sneak up on people again today. He says I'm a natural at it and in just a few years I can be a full member of the guild." Bakura's face showed only elation at the thought. "Think about all the traveling we can do. Jaylon says we can go to places all over the world, anywhere we can think of."_

_Ryou couldn't help but get drawn up into his brother's excitement. He giggled a bit at Bakura's excitement, leaning in closer to his brother. Bakura blinked, their faces were so close their noses were almost rubbing._

_Ryou made a motion to draw back, suddenly nervous about the space, or lack of, between him and his brother. But then Bakura's hands were caressing his cheeks and he couldn't think anymore. The next thing he knew Bakura's lips were pressed up against his in a tentative kiss._

_End Flashback_

Ryou and Marik swept into the hall, laughing and joking as they pushed their way through the crowd. Bakura shoved his way after them, his eyes trained onto the back of Ryou's head. The two separated as they got the books for their next classes, and then parted, Marik heading to the right and Ryou waiting at his locker for Bakura. The two did not have the next period together; Marik had Chemistry while Ryou and Bakura had Health.

Bakura pushed past Ryou and jerked his locker open. He threw his books in and went to slam the door shut when Ryou's soft questioning voice stopped him.

"Kura?"

"What the fuck do you want?"

Ryou's eyes widened and a small gasp slipped from his mouth. Bakura opened his mouth to berate Ryou but the words faltered and died in his throat as he gazed into his brother's eyes. A bit of fear, apprehension, and caution shone in his chocolate eyes. Bakura found himself captured by Ryou's gaze; no matter how hard he tried he could not tear his eyes from Ryou's face.

"Bakura?" Ryou's voice came out as a whimper and Bakura hated himself in that instance. _How could I of said something like that to Ryou of all people? Sweet precious Ryou._

"Yes Ryou?" Bakura was careful to make sure none of his anger slipped through.

Ryou bit his lip nervously. He didn't want to anger Bakura but something was obviously bothering his brother. "What's wrong Kura? You seem kind of angry today."

Bakura hesitated; he didn't want Ryou to know that he was jealous of Marik, for all the older teen knew Ryou and Marik's friendship was just that, pure friendship.

"Nothing, it's just with all the work I've been lately, so I haven't been able to spend enough time with you. That's all. Really."

"Oh, ok then. Um, we should be getting to class before we're late." Bakura grabbed the last of his materials for Health then the two teens headed down the hall to the classroom.

_Flashback_

_Ryou grabbed another dagger from the drawer and cocked his arm back, ready to throw the perfectly balanced blade. A whisper of a shadow flowed across the wall and Ryou whipped the knife at the shadow's originator. A grunt was heard and then a thump. The eleven year-old grabbed another blade before sliding off the bed cautiously. Ryou padded over the carpeted floor silently, his gaze watching the fallen body carefully._

_The boy kicked the fallen man's gun away from his hand before bending down to see if the job was done. The man was still alive but Ryou had hit him in the chest, right below the heart. The assailant had minutes if not seconds to live. Ryou remained crouched next to the man, watching as his life blood drained away. The young teen could feel vomit rising in his throat and with a rush he emptied his stomach of his supper. The puddle of puke lay next to the ever increasing lake of blood and in a few quick moments the two substances mixed and ran together._

_Ryou could not turn his head away, no matter how hard he tried. The young teen stayed crouched by the dying man until, slowly, the assailant took his final gasping breath. As the man's chest no longer rose and fell, Ryou remained squatted on the carpet, eyes remaining on the dead body._

_How long Ryou remained he did not know, the next thing he could knew Bakura was crouched down next to him, wrapping his arm around him and whispering reassurances in Ryou's ears. The older teen lead Ryou to the bed, turning the boy so that he could not see the corpse. The two sat entwined in each other for several long moments before Bakura stirred._

"_They're all gone Ryou. Don't worry. You never need to worry. Not while I'm here to protect you. You need to pack up your things and we need to be leaving incase anymore are coming. Jaylon thinks that someone found us out and sent the assassins to kill us." Ryou just sat there, staring into his brother's eyes, watching the fires that danced in their crimson depths. Bakura sighed and gently shook his brother's shoulders. Ryou still remained immobile so with another sigh Bakura detangled himself form his brother, Ryou whimpering softly at the loss of contact._

_Bakura crossed the room skirting the pool of blood and puke and tore open the dresser drawers. He grabbed a bundle of clothes and tossed them to the floor, pulling a picture frame out. He thrust that into a small black duffel bag that was lying next to the dresser and then pulled out a wooden jewelry chest and pushed that into the duffel bag. The teen turned around to face Ryou, noticing that his brother had still not moved from his position on the bed, arms lying limply by his side._

"_Ryou, you need to get up and come on. Before more of them come." Ryou ignored his brother, eyes focused on the bed sheets. Bakura crossed the room once again, reaching out and stroking Ryou's hair gently. "I know what you're feeling, I felt it the first time I killed a man. But don't worry, it will get better. But now we need to leave. Jaylon is starting up the car and we need to be leaving."_

_Wordlessly Ryou rose from the bed, his eyes remaining fixated on the doorway, refusing to look at the man he just killed._

Ryou sat next to Bakura, eyes glued on the teacher. Yumeka-sensei was busy pointing out key parts in the cranium while the class took notes. The younger white-head couldn't help but wonder what exactly Marik was doing at that moment. That thought led Ryou to another thought. _I wonder if Bakura would mind if I had Marik over tonight?_

Ryou leaned over his desk, scribbling on a piece of loose leaf paper. When he was finished with his note he folded it up into even quarters and, when Yumeka-sensei wasn't looking, tossed it onto Bakura's desk. Bakura looked at the paper curiously, at first he thought it was from one of the girls in the class but then he recognized the handwriting on the front. The teen picked up the paper and carefully unfolded it underneath the desk.

_Kura,_

_Do you mind if Marik comes over today? I figures we could work on or project and just hang out a bit. If that's ok with you._

Bakura clenched his fists under the desk where Ryou couldn't see. He most definitely did not want Marik over at his house. Bakura glanced out the corner of his eye to glimpse at his brother. Ryou was hunched over, facing forward but his eyes looking sideways towards Bakura. The older teen nearly melted at the expression on Ryou's face. The younger boy had a pleading expression on his face and Bakura couldn't help it his brother was just so cute. He had to give in.

_All right._

Ryou beamed when the note was passed back to him. He flashed a grateful smile in the direction of Bakura before turning back to his notes.

(1) – taken from the website _http/www. quotes/ qpickup lines.html_ (take out spaces) there are some amazing things at that site, go I beg you

(2) – just an OC I made up for the part

luckycatshadow- well, this must be the shortest chapter ever (especially when you compare it to my other chapters). I'm sort of having a writing problem, I know where the story is going, I just don't know how to get there. So it is going to take some time before the next chapter is posted. Sorry guys. Until next time.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I must sadly say that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! but neither do you. HA!

luckycatshadow: I must apologize for this chapter. It's just a filler cause I'm still trying to figure out how to get to where I need to get in the story.

X.X.X.

Bakura's eye twitched, then twitched again. And then another twitch followed the first two. There he was, trying to make out with Ryou behind the school but Marik was determined to find Ryou and spend time with the boy. From Bakura's spot, pushing Ryou up against the school wall he could hear Marik's voice getting closer and closer. The older teen groaned faintly, resting his forehead against Ryou's for a moment before pushing himself a couple of feet away and crossed his arms. A moment later Marik rounded the corner, eyes lighting up at the sight of Ryou.

"Hey Ryou. I've been looking for you. I want to introduce you to some of my other friends. They're waiting in the cafeteria." Ryou turned to face Marik, a smile gracing his pale features. He didn't wait for Bakura, just started to walk away with Marik.

Bakura could feel his eye twitch again. He couldn't go after Ryou, this was the first time Ryou had ever had a friend and it was important to Ryou. But Ryou was Bakura's and no one else's. How dare Marik come and take what was rightfully Bakura's!

Ryou bounced lightly next to Marik, humming softly to himself. The teen couldn't help but feel excited that he could quite possibly be getting more friends. Japan was beginning to seem like the best place he had ever been.

Bakura leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes, he couldn't watch his brother just leave him like that. The older teen felt his heart beat in his chest, coming down from the euphoric joy he only felt when being with Ryou and killing someone.

X.X.X

"Hey guys, I want you to meet Ryou. Ryou, you already know Malik, the short starfish man is Yami, the even shorter starfish man is Yugi, the mutt is Jounouchi and that thing of ice is Seto." Ryou blinked at Marik's odd way of introducing his friends. And the teen found it a bit weird that Marik introduced Yami as being short when he was clearly taller than Ryou. He shook his head and offered Marik's friends a soft smile and a hesitant wave.

Bakura entered the crowded cafeteria, eyes adjusting to the bright harsh school lights. He scanned the swarming room, looking for a glimpse of white hair. He finally caught sight of his brother, seated at a round table next to Marik and a teen with hair that resembled a multi-colored starfish. They was also a person Bakura assumed to be Marik's brother and another starfish man, along with a blond monkey that looked vaguely familiar and a tall brunette.

The assassin strode through the cafeteria, people instinctively clearing the way, eyes lowered as the man pushed through the crowds. His shoes were silent on the tiled floor, his approach absolutely soundless.

Ryou felt a small smile grace his features at a corny joke Jounouchi had just told. In the space of a couple of minutes Ryou already felt like he knew these people so very well. Apparently Yugi and Yami were dating and it was obvious from the gazes Seto and Jounouchi shared they wanted each other. Seto was distant and cold, Jounouchi was goofy and clumsy, Yami was protective and obsessed with winning, and Yugi was polite and willing to share what he could with a smile. Ryou felt he could grow to accept these people as friends and possibly confidantes.

Ryou heard the fall of silence descend on the crowd nearby before he felt the presence at his back. He turned around and came face to face with his brother, anger smoldering in his crimson eyes. Ryou took no notice of it, instead letting a smile cross his face.

"Hey Bakura," the teen chirped eagerly. "Come to have lunch with us?"

Bakura couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face before he smoothed it away, replacing it with a stern visage. He couldn't help but smile at Ryou's innocence but at the same time he was disappointed and angry at Ryou's actions.

Ryou scooted over on the bench, making room for Bakura to sit down next to him, between him and Yami. Bakura scowled at the teens seated at the table, giving them a warning look before plopping down next to Ryou. The others at the table turned their curious eyes away from Bakura, flinching at his scowl.

Jounouchi was the first to break the silence that had fallen over the table. He let out a long, loud burp, causing Yami to groan in disgust and Seto to wrinkle his nose. After that conversation flowed easily around the table, however, whenever someone tried to ask Bakura a question he would just growl until the offending person turned away and left him alone.

All too slowly did the bell for lunch dismissal ring in Bakura's mind. The assassin shot to his feet, grabbing a hold of Ryou's arm and pulling him up with him. He forcefully pulled Ryou out of the cafeteria, oblivious to Ryou's good-bye waves. As soon as the pair left the cafeteria and were in a somewhat empty hallway Bakura seized hold of Ryou's shoulders and pinned him to a locker, none to gently.

"What the fuck was that Ryou?" Ryou winced from the harsh language Bakura used and the forceful manner of his speech, along with the way Bakura was harshly shoving his shoulders into the bank of lockers. He put up an unsteady hand, a sad attempt to block anymore of Bakura's harsh outburst.

"Kura, I don't know what you're talking about" Ryou protested half-heartedly, for he sort of knew what Bakura was ranting about.

"Don't give me that shit Ryou. You know exactly what the hell I'm talking about."

Ryou winced, struggling a bit to try and free himself from his brother's grip. "Kura, please, let go of me…you're hurting me."

Confusion sprang across Bakura's face before he realized that his fingers were cruelly curled around Ryou's shoulders and he was forcing his younger brother into the locker rather violently. As soon as realization hit Bakura he released Ryou, waving his hands in the air as if they had been burned. Ryou slumped away from the lockers, his shoulders drooping and his eyes caressing the floor.

Bakura felt sadness creep into his heart; he hated to see his brother miserable and depressed. "Ryou, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to and you know that. So stop with the pitiful act."

Ryou kept his eyes lowered to the floor and Bakura reached out with a hand, seizing his brother's chin in a gentle but firm hold. He raised Ryou's face up, and couldn't help the gasp that escaped when he saw the tears glistening in Ryou's chocolate eyes, threatening to escape at any moment.

'Ry, why are you crying hon?"

"Kura, how could you do this to me? After all I've been through because of you and can't even give me this one thing."

Bakura couldn't help but be confused. He had no clue what Ryou was going on about but the sight of his brother, tears flowing down his cheeks unabashedly made Bakura's heart twinge in sadness. He hated seeing his brother cry.

"Ry, hon, I don't know what you're talking about." Ryou continued to cry, tears flowing down in a stream. "Please Ry, don't cry. You know how much I hate it."

At that moment teens began to pour into the hallway where the two brothers were standing. Ryou took advantage of the crowd to slip away from his brother, pushing through the masses of students. Leaving Bakura standing behind with a dismayed and bewildered look on his face.

luckycatshadow: well, that's all I got for now. Like I said before, this is just a filler chapter. And in case any questions arise, you need to understand why Ryou is so sad. He practically worships Bakura as a god and Bakura is the only person Ryou has ever had to lean on. So when Bakura gets mad at Ryou, Ryou is sad because he wants to make whatever is wrong better for Bakura. But at the same time, Ryou just wants to have someone to call his friend, someone besides Bakura. So Ryou is in a bit of a conundrum right now, stick with his brother and lover, or take the first chance he has ever gotten to have a friend. Just thought I'd clarify that for you.

Sorry about the length, hopefully the next chapter is a bit longer.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: do I really look like an old Japanese guy? I think not.

X.X.X.

Bakura stood in the flowing stream of students, looking bewildered and lost, but Ryou had long disappeared from sight. The assassin watched as the flow of students slowly ebbed before disappearing completely. He stood all alone in the hallway as the bell rang, signaling any students that weren't in a classroom were late. But still Bakura remained, arms trembling and knees weak. The image of his brother's tear filled eyes remained in his mind, taunting him, showing his just how apart they were drifting. There was a strange feeling starting to settle deep in Bakura's chest, a feeling he could not place. And for some reason it unsettled him more than anything else he had ever felt.

Loud clacking footsteps stirred him from his daze and he looked up to see one of the hall monitors striding his way, a frown on his face. The boy neared him, craning his neck to look into the assassin's face. The teen was clearly a portentous ass, accustomed to using his monitor powers to scare underclassmen. The black haired teen opened his mouth to scold Bakura for still being in the halls but the older teen cut him off first.

"Don't you dare say a fucking word." He was not in the mood to listen to some stuck-up bitch lecture him. The monitor's jaw clicked shut with an audible smack. The boy's eyes widened and an angry flush spread across his cheeks. The teen reopened his mouth to speak but Bakura beat him to it, hauling his fist back and punching the monitor as hard as he could in the nose.

The teen crumbled to the floor with a loud thump, a trickle of blood seeping from his nose and did not move. A teacher from a nearby classroom poked her head out the doorway and gasped when she saw the monitor collapsed on the floor and Bakura standing over him, a smear of blood on his knuckles.

X.X.X.

Ryou sat quickly at his desk, staring down at the words carved into the desk's surface. _Hisoka loves Kohana_ boldly proclaimed one set carved deeply into the middle of the desk. Ryou couldn't help but to bitterly smile- in the Japanese kanji Hisoka meant secretive or reserved and Kohana meant little flower. _A perfect reflection of my life._ _Bakura was definitely secretive and reserved, hiding things away from even his lover. To Bakura, I am just his little flower, a delicate thing to hold and protect and keep hidden away from others._ And that thought took Ryou right back to the beginning of his problem. Bakura had acted as if Ryou had stabbed him, right in the back. But it was hardly Ryou's fault for wanting some friends, to just be normal, just for one school. It wasn't fair of Bakura to try and keep his brother locked up away from people for the rest of his life.

Ryou realized that Bakura wasn't sure how to take Ryou deciding to grow wings and fly, but that was no reason for him to behave the way he did.

X.X.X.

Bakura sat slumped down on the hard orange plastic chair. He let out a small groan, letting his head fall back with an audible thump onto the wall behind him. The receptionist sat behind her desk, fingers flying over a keyboard. Every couple of seconds she would glance up at Bakura then look back down at her screen, a faint blush staining her cheeks. The teen had a faint suspicion that she was secretly checking him out. Bakura let his eyes drift shut; relishing the darkness they revealed to the assassin.

The teen's eyes snapped open as the door to the principal's office popped open with a swish. The man exited his office, face severe. He silently gestured towards Bakura, shooing the teen into the room. Bakura entered the office, heading over, and plopping down into yet another harsh plastic chair situated in front of the administrator's desk.

The principal slid the door shut with a click and then strode over to his plush chair. He settled down in the seat and pressed his fingertips together, gazing at Bakura with a stern look on his face. Several long moments passed with neither saying a word. The assassin was content to just stare at the administrator, silently engaging in a contest of wills.

The principal was the first to look away. He glanced down at the scattered papers on his desk, clearing his throat loudly. "Mr. Bakura, I understand that you are new to this country and school, however, certain rules must be followed. You cannot assault a fellow student, even with good reason."

Bakura just continued to stare at the administrator, not blinking. The man nervously cleared his throat again, before continuing. "However, as this is the first offense, I will let you off with just a two day suspension. I just spoke with the boy's family and they have decided not to press charges against you."

Besides a barely noticeable widening of his eyes, the teen made no other obvious motion. "We do not tolerate any sort of fighting at this school, no matter the circumstances. Mr. Bakura, assault is a very serious transgression, you are very lucky I am only giving you a mere two days of suspension. I expect you in my office first thing Friday morning. That will be all."

Bakura gracefully rose from his seat, and strode over to the door. He grasped the smooth handle in his hand and slid the door open. He exited without a backwards look, sliding the door shut with a soft click. The receptionist's head darted up at the noise before she looked down with a deep blush staining her cheeks.

Bakura ignored the old lady, instead walking out of the office and into the silent hallways. The assassin strode down the hall, footsteps making no noise. The teen passed classroom doors, teachers and students oblivious to his passing. Bakura made his way through the corridors to the front door. With a simple shove the door popped open and the teen made his way into the parking lot.

X.X.X.

Ryou watched his chemistry teacher babble on and on about how to properly balance equations, before settling his attention on the clock. He was starting to get a bit worried. _Bakura should have been back thirty-five minutes ago._ The class was almost over and there was still no sight of the assassin. Ryou shifted his attention away from the clock towards the teacher before looking again towards the clock. Thirty-six minutes now.

Ryou couldn't wait for the period to end, so that he could see Marik again and find out what happened to Bakura. The teen knew it was a bit strange to be this obsessive about seeing his friend, but Ryou couldn't help but be excited to actually spend time with his first friend _EVER_.

X.X.X.

Marik jogged quickly, feet pounding the gym floor. The Egyptian rapidly passed other students in his class. But Marik's mind wasn't on his run; he couldn't help but think of a certain white-head. All last night he couldn't think of anything thing else but Ryou. He had tossed and turned in his bed until early morning, thinking deliciously naughty thoughts about a certain teen. And now he couldn't get the delectable image of Ryou crying in his arms out of his head.

Marik couldn't help but feel anger towards Bakura; the teen shouldn't keep such a tight rein on Ryou. _It isn't fair that I am the first friend Ryou has ever had in his life. He deserves so much more. And yet Bakura continued to hold Ryou back from becoming all he could be and all he deserves._

X.X.X.

Ryou pushed his way through the bustling crowds, flinching whenever someone came into contact with him. He could feel dozens of eyes glued to his back, staring and watching. The people of this school loved to stare, just sit and watch someone. And Ryou hated it. Oh how he hated not having Bakura next to him, guiding him through the hordes of students and protecting him from the stares.

But the teen stopped twitching when he caught sight of Marik leaning on his locker, a faint smirk on his face. Ryou pushed his way through the students, trying with all his might to avoid being touched by others. He finally made his way to his locker, a grin brightening his face.

Marik smoothly rose off of the bank of lockers as Ryou came up next to him. Ryou reached out and spun his combination before popping his locker open.

"Where's your watchdog?" Marik asked with a slight smirk.

"My watchdog?" Ryou got a quizzical look on his face, not understanding the question. He threw his chemistry books into his locker before turning his attention to Marik.

"Bakura."

Understanding dawned on Ryou's face, along with another, unrecognizable, emotion. "Oh, um, I haven't seen Bakura since after lunch."

"What happened, did you two have a fight or something?" Marik teasingly asked before immediately regretting his question upon seeing an expression of horror, regret, sadness, and other nameless emotions dawn on Ryou's face. The teen looked like he was about to cry at any second.

"Aw shit Ryou, I didn't to upset you." The white-head made no move to stop the flood of tears that sprang into his eyes. "Damnit, I didn't mean to say that. Ryou, please don't cry."

Marik reached our gathering Ryou into his arms. The teen began to openly sob into Marik's school jacket, the tears flowing fast and heavy. Marik stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to comfort the teen. This was only the second time someone had cried on him, depended on him for solace and support. The first time had been Ryou yesterday afternoon.

The two teens stood in the middle of the hallway as the crowds of students slowly dwindled down to a few students rushing off to their respective classes. Ryou continued to sob, gaining more than a few odd looks. Marik wasn't exactly known as the most kind-hearted person, in fact, he was a bit of a bully. Most of the students were mortally afraid of him and the few that weren't were his friends. But his attitude didn't stop people from sucking up to him and trying to become his friend. They felt as if being friends with Marik would protect them from the other bullies. After all, Marik had stopped other students from picking on Yugi and in turn, found out that his friend Yami was secretly crushing on the short teen. He was responsible for Yami and Yugi getting together.

A loud bell rang through the halls, signaling the start of the final period of the day. The two teens were left all alone in the silent corridors. Only then did Ryou draw himself back from Marik's chest, wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. Marik could see Ryou's eyes were red and slightly swollen from all of the spilled tears.

"Hey Ryou," Marik spoke softly and gently, not wanting to upset the teen again, "Are you okay now?"

Ryou took another swipe at his eyes with his sleeve before hesitantly speaking. "Yeah, um, sorry about that. I just, um, I don't know, just, um, couldn't help it."

"Ryou," Marik kept his voice low and soft, not wanting to upset Ryou but wanting to know what made the teen react in the way he did. "What's the matter? Did Bakura say something to you?"

Ryou looked a bit guilty at Marik's question, frowning faintly. "No, we just had a bit of a fight, that's all."

Marik gave a wan smile. There was no way a "bit of a fight" could cause a reaction like that. "Ryou, do you want to go to the nurse's office?" Upon seeing the expression that crossed Ryou's face he modified his question. "Would you like me to take you to the bathroom so you can wash off your face?"

"Yes please, if it isn't too much trouble." Marik couldn't help but slightly grin at the politeness in Ryou's question. Of course the boy would think of Marik before himself. The two's moment together was broken by the loud footsteps of a hall monitor. The tall, black-haired teen strode confidently through the halls, a frown on his face.

"What are you two still doing out in the hall? Class began," the teen checked his watch ostentatiously, "seven and a half minutes ago."

Marik rolled his eyes at the teen, mentally growling at being interrupted. "I was taking Ryou to the bathroom. He became a bit upset and needs to take a moment to recover."

The hall monitor frowned even more deeply. He clearly didn't believe Marik. And from the position the two were standing in, Marik couldn't blame him. "I'm afraid you two will have to accompany me to the office. You can make your excuses there."

The teen didn't even wait for a response, just took off towards the office. Marik gave a soft sigh and reluctantly grasped Ryou's wrist, pulling the frail teen with him. The trio headed through the halls and into the office. There the monitor strode haughtily over to the receptionist's desk and bent over it, speaking softly to the old lady.

The old lady glanced up at the two teens, eyes widening at the sight of Ryou. She bent forward and muttered a few words to the hall monitor before sitting back in her chair. The teen strode past the two and slid the door open, leaving the office to go back to walking the halls.

The old lady got out of her chair and stuck her head into the principal's office. Marik could hear her mutter some words before turning back to her desk. The principal stepped out of his office and gestured for the two teens to enter his office. Marik entered the room, Ryou trailing quietly behind him.

The two took seats before the principal's desk, Ryou folding his hands properly in his lap.

"Well boys, I'm sure you know exactly why you are here. It is important that all students are in their classes at the start of the period so that their learning environment will not be disrupted and that they will have enough time for the teachers to teach their classroom lesson. No matter the circumstances, it is important for you to be in your class at the required time. Now, please, tell me why you feel you don't need to follow this simple rule."

Marik could tell Ryou was too nervous to speak to the principal so he took the initiative and spoke up. "Ryou became distraught at a comment I made and I was going to escort him to the bathroom so that he might clean himself and become respectable looking."

The principal turned his attention to the shaking white-head. "And what exactly was the nature of Mr. Ishtar's comment, Ryou?"

"Um," Ryou looked nervously towards Marik before turning his attention back to the principal, "Marik inquired as to where my brother was and I became flustered because Bakura and I had departed from each other with harsh words."

The administrator nodded with understanding etched on his face. "Ryou," the man pause for a moment, unsure how to phrase his next sentence. Just from the few minutes spent in the presence of Ryou and Bakura together he could tell the kind of relationship the two shared, a relationship of dependence and reliance on each other. "Ryou, I had to suspend your brother for two days due to assault on his part."

Ryou turned pale at the man's words. "Assault?"

Marik looked over at Ryou, worried at the shade of white he had turned. "Ryou, are you okay?'

"Assault," Ryou repeated, before slumping forward in his chair. Marik was worried that he was going to cry before Ryou slid out of the chair with a dull thump, out cold.

luckycatshadow: well, this chapter was longer than the two previous ones. We are slowly getting deeper into the plot, but we still got a ways to go. Thanks for staying with me this long. Sorry it took me this long to post. I'll try and have the next chapter up in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed of course. And thanks to all who reviewed, I love you all! You're the reason this story is still ticking.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: Yugiouu is not the property of a mere mortal like me. It belongs to the great one that doesn't know how to fully appreciate yaoi enough to put it on his writings.

CLARIFICATION: just so things are cleared, Ryou is fainted because Bakura got suspended. Even though Ryou is beginning to open up to Marik, Bakura is still his support and now he doesn't know what to do with Bakura going to be gone for the next two school days. He wants to continue to go to school with Marik, yet he wants to stay at home, safe with Bakura.

X.X.X.

Bakura drove through the streets, building walls streaking past him. He drove with no regard to the other cars on the street, weaving through them expertly. The assassin paid no attention to the other drivers, focused inward on his own thoughts.

_Flashback_

"_**Ryou, don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry."**_

"_**Then why do you do this to me?"**_

_Bakura lay half covering his brother. The only sound in the whole room was the sound of Ryou's breath rattling in his throat. The boy had a hard time breathing, his nose was all stuffed up from the countless tears he shed already and continued to trickle._

_The two lay naked on the bed, the only thing covering them was the blanket Bakura had halfway pulled over them. The lights were dimmed, creating a slightly romantic mood. But Ryou did not fully appreciate the implications of the atmosphere, he was too busy concentrating on ignoring the pain._

_With a deep sigh Bakura rolled off of his brother, and pulled himself off the bed. Yet still Ryou remained laying down, eyes tightly shut, But several tears nevertheless leaked out of the corner of his eyes, tracing a path across his face and down into his hair._

_The older brother picked up a shirt from where it lay abandoned on the floor and then gathered up the two pairs of pants. He crossed the bedroom floor, depositing the clothes in the hamper before striding into the bathroom to turn the shower on. Bakura then turned his attention back to his brother._

"_Ryou come on and get up. You need to get cleaned off before it dries." When Bakura got no response from Ryou he strode over to the bed and pulled the bed sheet off Ryou's immobile form. "Come on, get up and come into the shower with me."_

"_**Why do you do this to me?"**_

"_**I do nothing Ryou."**_

"_**Then why do you insist on hurting me?"**_

"_**I would never hurt you."**_

"_**Then what do you call this? Your love?"**_

"_**Ryou, please, don't be ridiculous. I wish not to hurt you, but you do not know what is best for you."**_

"_**And you do?"**_

"_**Please Ryou, just get out of bed and come clean yourself up."**_

"_**Just go away and leave me to my misery."**_

_Bakura did not wish to get into an argument with Ryou so he merely reached down and grabbed a hold of his brother's slender arms. With one sharp tug he pulled Ryou up and set him on his feet. As soon as Bakura let go Ryou crumbled to the ground, disoriented by the sudden and overwhelming flare of pain._

_Bakura was instantly by Ryou's side, picking up Ryou to carry him bridal style into the bathroom. He gently set his brother down inside the bathtub; the shower's pounding jets instantly soaking the two._

"_**Just stop Bakura."**_

"_**Don't be ridiculous. You need to be cleaned off."**_

"_**Just go and leave me to my pain."**_

"_**I will never leave you when you are suffering"**_

"_**But you caused this pain. You would not be here with me right now if you did not seek to cause me this pain."**_

"_**I do not want to hurt you. If you would but accept what I offer you, I could show you a world of pleasure and bliss, a world were you will never be unhappy and you will be forever content with me."**_

"_**Your world is tainted, dirty. And I want nothing to do with it."**_

_Bakura picked up the washcloth and ran it under the stream of water. He poured some of Ryou's cucumber melon body scrub on the cloth before rubbing it gently over Ryou's slight body. He took great care to clean between Ryou's legs, washing him delicately, as to not hurt him further. The intoxicating scent filled the air, overpowering the lingering smell of sex. Ryou stood silently, head bowed, body swaying slightly from Bakura's scrubbing._

_Bakura let the washcloth fall from his hands and leaned forward, pulling Ryou into his arms. The younger boy accepted the embrace, arms hanging freely by his side._

"_**Please stop this."**_

"_**There is nothing to stop."**_

"_**What you are doing to me."**_

"_**Is it wrong to show my love?"**_

"_**When you hurt the person you love, yes."**_

"_**But I do not hurt you."**_

"_**What you have done to me is beyond words."**_

"_**I have merely shown the love I feel."**_

_Bakura continued to let the water pound over their bodies, holding on tightly to his brother. Ryou continued to stand impassively in his brother's embrace, eyes closed, tears lost among the flowing water._

_Many minutes had passed before Bakura roused himself. He pushed himself off of Ryou and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. He poured some into his palms and rubbed them together before applying the shampoo to Ryou's hair. His brother let Bakura rub the shampoo in before rinsing it out. Next Bakura applied the conditioner, also in the scent of cucumber melon._

_The whole time Bakura continued to support Ryou, for if he let go the boy would have surely fallen. Bakura reached around his brother and turned off the water. Once the water stopped its flow the silence seemed to pound down on the two. Neither of the brothers wanted to make any sound and disturb the fragile peace. But finally Bakura decided to make the first move, pushing open the shower curtain and reaching out for a soft, fluffy towel hanging on the towel rack. He smoothed the towel gently over Ryou's skin, drying off the drops of water that clung to the pale skin. He then wrung out Ryou's thick fluffy hair before wrapping the towel around his head._

_Bakura led Ryou out of the shower and seated him on the closed toilet bowl seat before grabbing another towel for himself. He quickly dried off before picking up Ryou again. He carried his brother into the bedroom and placed him in the desk chair. Bakura turned his attention to the bed sheets and stripped the bed of the blood-stained covers. He dropped them in a pile by the clothes hamper before pulling new sheets out of the closet. He quickly placed them on the bed before setting Ryou down and pulling the covers over him._

"_**You've had a long day, you should rest."**_

"_**I would not need to rest if you did not see fit to hurt me."**_

"_**I did not hurt you. I only wished to enlighten you on the true nature of our relationship."**_

"_**One cannot base a relationship on pain and lust."**_

"_**But ours is so much more that that."**_

"_**But all that you are offering me is agony and desire."**_

"_**But I can give you so much more."**_

""_**All I shall get from you in the end is suffering and misery."**_

_Bakura crawled under the covers with Ryou, pulling his brother's body close to his own. Ryou lay on his side with his eyes closed, tears continuing to leak from his eyes in a steady flow._

_The two lay silently, for so long Bakura began to think Ryou had fallen asleep. But all of a sudden Ryou stirred, trying to pull himself from Bakura grasp. But the older brother was having none of that. He tightened his grip on Ryou, refusing to let him go._

"_**Why do you insist on holding onto me as if I were a pet bird; locked in a cage with freedom so close yet so far away?"**_

"_**I hold onto you to protect you."**_

"_**It is you I need to be protected from."**_

"_**Don't say such things. I only think about you and your wellbeing."**_

"_**If you truly cared you would leave me be."**_

"_**But I cannot let something as precious as you slip away from me."**_

"_**Is that all I am to you, a possession to be held onto, so that you might gloat to all of the other children how your toy is the best?"**_

_End Flashback_

Bakura gripped the steering wheel tightly, fingers turning bone white from the pressure. His car's tires gave a large squeal as he turned tightly, heading back through the streets to the school parking lot. School should be finished soon and he had a brother to pick up. Bakura had soon frustration to get out, and soon.

luckycatshadow: one page shorter that the last chapter but I hope that cleared some things up for everyone. Don't expect every chapter to be updated this soon, I'm leaving for France in a couple of weeks and there is still a lot of preparation to be done. Thanks to my reviewers, you are all so wonderful! Haven't got a single flame yet. Mystralwind deserves some special thanks, with all of the reviewing she's been doing! Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: Do we see Ryou running around naked, making out with his yami or any other sexy bishounen? No, I think not. So clearly I don't own anything.

luckycatshadow: all I'd like to say is that France is the most beautiful country ever. Never mind my French is rustier then hell and my flight home got cancelled. I would like to recommend all of you traveling to Paris once before you die, it's worth it and so much more.

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, I love you all. It's great to come back after being out of the country and realizing how much you all care. And I figured out a boyfriend for Malik; just don't hate me for it. No one had any suggestions so no flames, please. The boyfriend is revealed next chapter (I think) or the chapter after (9).

**IMPORTANT: **Previous chapter Bakura was 16 and Ryou was 13; the chapter took place about three years ago. The scene took place in a small town in the French region Rhône-Alpes not far from the city of Grenoble.

X.X.X.

Blackness was as far as the eyes could see. Black sky, black clouds, even a black sun. All the black was enough to depress someone beyond words. No matter how hard the eyes strained, black was the only thing seen.

Ryou felt like crying upon waking up to the sight of all the black. It pressed down on him, suffocating and choking him. He felt tremors racing up and down his back and for a moment all he could feel was panic. Ryou could only think of a particular time, similar to this black landscape, where he was trapped with the door locked. No way out and everyone oblivious to his cries of terror and fear.

X.X.X.

Marik quietly watched Ryou's eyes twitch under his eyelids. The boy had been utterly still up until a moment ago, upon which the teen's eyes began twitching and he began to tremble faintly. Marik clutched onto the hand in his grip tighter and leaned over Ryou, watching his face for any sign of the youth becoming conscious again. He had been so scared when Ryou had collapsed but the principal had taken it all in stride, going over to his office door and calling the nurse inside. With Marik's help Nurse Aomori carried Ryou's limp body into the sick room, laying him down on the cot covered in a disposable plastic wrap. The nurse bustled around the bed for a few moments, shining a little penlight into Ryou's eyes, bandaging up his cut head and pulling a bedspread over him before finally leaving the room, letting a blanket of silence to settle over the two.

Marik admired the way the bandage wrap held Ryou's hair out of his face, framing it gently. Sadistically he couldn't help but think Ryou looked good wrapped but in bandages.

Ryou had made no motion of awaking at being moved and Marik took a seat next to him in a hard orange plastic chair, grasping onto the teen's limp hand. With nothing to do Marik found himself gazing at the tops of his school shoes. The school shoes he was required to wear were the most hideous things ever, they made his feet look huge and the style was just terrible. Marik found his mind drifting, alighting on random topics before settling on the thought of the delicate teen in front of him. And once Marik started thinking about Ryou he found he couldn't stop. The thought of Ryou was just too enticing, the very memory of his twinkling eyes and heart-stopping laugh and a million other little adorable things about him made Marik uncomfortable with need. But he would not do anything to such a defenseless innocent boy.

But then Ryou had begun twitching and tossing fretfully. Marik hovered over him, a concerned look etched on his face. For several long moments Ryou turned over and over with his eyes fluttering underneath closed eyelids. Marik held his breath in, not wanting to disturb the unconsciousness teen. But then, as if a light switch had been turned off, Ryou stopped moving and laid on the bed, as still as a corpse. But his chest rose ever so lightly in a mockery of sleep.

For one agonizingly long hour the room remained silent, Ryou lost in unconsciousness and Marik deep in his thoughts.

X.X.X.

With a shudder Ryou tore himself away from the dark landscape and pulled his eyes opened, wincing at the harsh lighting that instantaneously stung them. He blinked rapidly, blinking away the tears that had formed. Instantly Marik's concerned face swam into view, hovering in the air above him.

"Ryou, you had me so scared. Are you feeling better?"

With a groan Ryou attempted to sit up before letting himself drop back to the cot with a small gasp of pain. Marik leaned over further; making sure the pillow behind Ryou's head was properly fluffed up and situated. The younger teen closed his eyes again, wincing at the pain that throbbed from the back of his skull up.

"You need to be careful. You took a really good whack on the head when you collapsed. Its gonna hurt for a bit. You're lucky you didn't break the skin."

Ryou listened to Marik ramble with a small expression of pain on his face. He let the older teen continue for several more moments, enjoying the way Marik was acting like a concerned mother hen, before he raised his hand and ceased the incessant prattling.

"What," Ryou cleared his throat quickly; his mouth was dry - like someone had stuck a cotton ball in his mouth, before trying to speak again. "What happened?" His voice still came out all crackly and shaky.

Marik got a pained look on his face at Ryou's question, like he wasn't sure how to properly answer the question. "Um, well, you kinda fainted."

"W-why?"

"Um, you, uh, heard about um, Bakura's uh," Marik couldn't believe how tongue-tied he was getting over telling Ryou a simple statement. But he didn't want Ryou to react the same he had before. "Well, um, Bakura got suspended for a couple of day."

The last part of Marik's response rushed out in an incomprehensible rush of syllables and letters. It took a moment for Ryou to decipher Marik's words but when the meaning dawned on him he paled even more and turned his head away from Marik's view.

"Ryou?" Marik spoke hesitantly, not wanting to startle the boy anymore. "Are you…okay?"

"Yes, I," Ryou drew in a shaking breath before releasing it in a quick whoosh. "I-I'm fine. I just…I just…oh I don't know. It's kinda strange. When I…when I was told about Bakura I just felt trapped, yet relieved. In a-a twisted way. It's weird, I can't tell you why I felt that but, I was just so scared, but relieved. I just, oh, I just don't know anymore. It's-it's complicated."

Marik took all of Ryou's little speech in without saying word, a strange look on his face. The older teen wasn't sure what to say, the situation didn't exactly call for word of condolences, yet, Ryou seemed saddened by all that was happening, as if he had inexplicably been caught up in a maelstrom spinning beyond his control.

Ryou laid his head back down, closing his eyes with a faint sigh. Marik looked closer at the pale teen and noticed faint worry lines etched in the corners around his eyes, giving him the look of one far more aged than him. Ryou's face had a drawn in look to it, like he had seen the mysteries of the world and they were pulling harshly down on him. Marik felt a tug on his heart; it made him sad, and in a way sickened, to see the young teen look like that.

After several long moments of silence Ryou reopened his eyes, once again blinking rapidly at the bright lights. "How-how long have I been out of it?"

"The final bell's about to ring, so about an hour now."

"Oh."

Ryou lifted his head off the pillow, then, with trembling arms, pushed his chest up off the bed. Marik sat by quietly; he knew Ryou wouldn't want the help. Finally Ryou sat up properly before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. The pale teen slowly rose to his feet, trembling faintly.

"Are you sure you're ready to leave? You can lay down for a bit. School doesn't end for another ten minutes."

"Nah, I'm all right. Just give me a moment." Ryou closed his eyes, swaying slightly as if being blown about by a strong wind. Slowly his eyes slid open and the teen took an unsteady step forward, legs shaking faintly. Marik gracefully rose to his feet and paced behind Ryou, making sure the pale teen did not fall and hit his head again.

The two teens quietly left the sick room, startling Nurse Aomori as she filled out papers at her desk. She quickly stood up and hurried around her desk, fussing over Ryou. She raised a hand to his forehead, shined her little flashlight in his eyes and then leaned around to look at the bandaged bump on his head. She found no blood staining the bandage and after a few moments took a step away from Ryou.

"Well, there's no sign of a concussion, so you're free to go, however get a lot of rest tonight, just make sure you clean out and wash it carefully before rewrapping and don't come to school tomorrow, instead stay in bed. Per school policy, a doctor's note of evaluation must be brought in with you when you come back to school. If you wish to head home now that would be fine. Mr. Ishtar may escort you outside."

The two teens paced out of the nurse's office and headed towards Ryou and Marik's lockers. By unspoken agreement the two were leaving the school together. Ryou was the first to break the silence.

"Um Marik, would you like to come over to my house to, um, work on our school project? I have all of our research notes; we can start our working on our paper." Marik was startled by Ryou inviting him over; he had expected to just finish the project at his house. But then Marik realized that Ryou must have studied his Japanese customs to follow the tradition of giri (1). It was a way for Ryou to repay Marik for letting the pale teen come over to his house, well, mansion.

Marik was quick to acquiesce, he was curious as to where Ryou and Bakura lived. He couldn't picture the two living in a home like husband and wife. It seemed like Ryou needed a parental figure to properly guide and help him and it didn't seem like Bakura was the right person. Ryou needed a kind and gentle person to be there for him, not some sadistic bastard.

The two teens walked down the empty corridors in silence, both lost among their thoughts. Their footsteps were the only sound to echo through the hallways, all other students lost among their studies. Marik and Ryou both opened their lockers and dug out the necessary books to take home before stuffing them in their book-bags. Marik seized a hold of Ryou's strap before the pale teen could grab it for himself. Marik easily hoisted the two bags over his shoulders and clicked his locker shut. Ryou closed his locker before turning to Marik, a strange look on his face, mouth opened to make a comment.

Marik was quick to head off anything Ryou could say with a firm admonish, "don't even think about it Ryou, you just woke up from fainting and I don't want you to strain yourself."

Ryou frowned, a slightly irritated and frustrated look etched on his face. But he didn't bother retorting to Marik, he knew he didn't have a chance of convincing the other teen to let him carry his own bag.

Another moment of silence fell over the two as they exited the school building. As soon as the pair reached Marik's car Marik called Malik's phone, leaving a voice mail to call the chauffeur for a ride home.

Ryou didn't mind the silence that was ever present. It felt comfortable and normal to just enjoy the silence in the company of another and not be smothered.

X.X.X.

(1) the concept of giri governs every give-and-take in society

Gifts and reciprocal gifts are kept track of meticulously

Don't accept more than you can repay

Don't transgress the strong hierarchical divisions of society

luckycatshadow sorry the ending was so brief; I just wanted to post the chapter and be done. This was definitely not my best work. But next chapter should hopefully be better.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh I would not be publishing on this site, I would be making pornographic episodes.

luckycatshadow: IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: Yet another flashback chapter. This one is roughly a year later, so Bakura is 17 and Ryou is 14. Chapter six dealt mainly with Ryou's oppositions to their relationship, this chapter deals more with Ryou's opposition to Bakura's job. Again I'd like to thank Mystralwind; you're a sweetie, my only faithful reviewer.

X.X.X.

_Ryou let his bag fall to the floor with a thud, the noise echoing throughout the otherwise silent house. He kicked off his school shoes, lining them up next to the other pairs next to the hall closet door. Bakura made no motion to recognize Ryou's presence. The older teen was lounging in a stuffed armchair, a news program flickering across the tv screen. The news anchor was a busty blond, clearly having gone under the needle multiple times._

"_We interrupt your normally scheduled program to bring you this breaking news bulletin. We have just received a confirmed report from Chief Police Inspector Grundy that at two forty-six this afternoon prominent business man Dennis Hilyard collapsed at the popular restaurant D&G's Café. As you may know, Mr. Hilyard was the chief executive officer of Stoneguard Enterprises. At 76 Mr. Hilyard had suffered two major heart attacks in the past three years. An official statement released by Chief Police Inspector Grundy reported that foul play was not suspected. Initial coronary reports suggest that Mr. Hilyard suffered another heart attack. We now take you back to your previously scheduled program."_

_Bakura leaned over the arm of his chair and grabbed the remote, switching off the tv, ending the view of some random comedy show. He relaxed back down into the seat, swinging his legs over the right arm of the chair. Bakura let his head fall back onto the left arm, closing his eyes. He patted his lap in an obvious gesture._

_Ryou remained standing where he was, eyes remaining fixed on the blank television screen. The teen began trembling, shaking uncontrollably. Bakura propped himself up on his elbow, peering over the side of the armchair to gaze at Ryou._

"_Ryou, come here." Bakura's voice was commanding, insistent that Ryou obey. But Ryou made no motion to move from the spot he was frozen to, eyes not wavering from the blank monitor._

"_Ryou, come on. I want to snuggle." Bakura sighed; his brother had made no attempt to move. The older teen's patience had never been great when it came to his brother; he expected to get from Ryou what he wanted, when he wanted it. Bakura sat up all the way, swinging his legs off the arm of the chair to properly touch the floor. He rose to his feet, padding silently towards his still frozen brother._

"_Ryou?" Bakura's voice became harder, more harsh. He reached out grasping a hold of Ryou's cold arm. He gave it a slight shake, hoping that Ryou would not cause any trouble. "Damnit Ryou, answer me when I speak to you."_

_Ryou finally tore his gaze from the blank television screen, his eyes swimming with unshed tears. He managed to choke out a single, pain-filled word. "Why?"_

"_Shit." Bakura did not want his brother to see the news broadcast, he had hoped it would have ended before Ryou had gotten home but the fates had conspired against him. Once it came on Bakura didn't want to turn it off for anything. He _needed_ to see the proof of his work. "Ryou, believe me, I wish you hadn't of seen that."_

_Ryou finally managed to move his trembling body, tearing his arm from Bakura's hold. He stumbled back a few steps, a horrified expression gracing his delicate features. The young teen could find no words to express his utter horror and remorse at the thought of another innocent person dying by his brother's hand just because some rich businessman couldn't stand the thought of some competition. Ryou hated when he came home to discover another person dead, with his brother no worse for the wear. How Bakura managed to feel no guilt was beyond Ryou._

_Ryou finally managed to force words from his swollen throat. "Why Bakura? Why must that man of died? How can you continue to do this…this _murder_ and live contentedly with yourself? What did he do to deserve death? What about his family, his children, his lover?"_

_Ryou voice was choked with all of his pent up emotions. Bakura was slightly shocked by Ryou's outburst but he knew it was going to happen. It was only a matter of sooner or later and apparently it was sooner. "Ryou my love, you know what has to be done. I don't like it anymore that you do but I have accepted it because it's the only way to keep us together. You know I'll do whatever it takes to keep us together."_

"_And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure no more lives are lost, even if it means being separated from you and going back into that room."_

"_Shit Ryou, you know you didn't mean that."_

"_I mean it if that's what it takes to stop you from killing."_

"_I can't stop. They'll just separate us, probably kill you and then get someone else to do their work, someone who won't do the job as compassionately."_

"_Compassionately, _compassionately_, you call killing people compassionate?" Ryou's voice broke with the force of his emotions. He paused for a moment in the middle of his rant to wipe his eyes free of tears that threatened to fall. "It's murder, no matter how prettily you word it. Why should we live when those who you kill do not get that chance?"_

"_Damnit Ryou, I do this for us!" Bakura reached out again for Ryou's arm, this time holding it in a firm, unshakable grip. Ryou instinctively flinched, turning his eyes from the sight of his angry brother. Bakura heart sank even deeper at the sight of his brother cowering from him. Bakura voice fell lower, a note of supplication present. "Please Ryou; can't you see how much I care about you? I wouldn't be able to survive without you, I need you. And if by killing people we can remain together then by all means I'm gonna kill some people. Don't you see Ryou, I will do whatever it takes to keep you by my side, no matter what the cost is."_

_Tears were now flowing unstopped down Ryou's pale cheeks. The teen struggled to stop his cries but could not hold them in. Bakura reached out with his other hand, grabbing hold of Ryou's other arm. He drew his brother in close, letting Ryou cry into his shirt. Ryou stopped his struggles, just letting his tears flow. Bakura released his hold on Ryou's wrists, instead wrapping his arms around his brother's frail body._

_The two brothers stood motionless, Ryou's sobs the only sound heard. Bakura rocked back and forth on heels, attempting to calm down his brother. It was several long minutes before Ryou's sobs gradually died down to mere sniffles. Bakura bent down, planting a soft kiss on the crown of Ryou's head. He continued to rock until he felt his brother become heavy and lax in his arms._

_Bakura kept his left arm wrapped around Ryou and slid his right arm down to Ryou's knees, scooping up his younger brother into his arms. Ryou remained silent, swollen red eyes half-closed. Bakura turned and strode down the hall into the master bedroom. He shifted Ryou into a tight, one-handed grasp and pulled down the bed sheets with his other hand. Bakura gently placed his brother onto the soft bed and gently pulled off Ryou's shirt and pants before pulling the covers back up over his brother. Ryou closed his eyes fully, sniffling quietly. He rolled onto his side, presenting his back to Bakura._

_Bakura remained motionlessly by the bedside, eyes never leaving Ryou's back. Neither brother made an attempt to talk to each other, letting the silent minutes tick past. Bakura was the first one to stir, bending over the bed and placing a chaste kiss on Ryou's temple. As soon as Bakura pulled away Ryou grabbed hold of the bed covers, pulling them up and over his head._

_Bakura walked out of the bedroom, letting his footsteps create as much noise as possible on the carpet before sneaking back in to the side of the bed. His fears were confirmed when he could hear Ryou begin to sob again, this time desperately choking back any noise of his sobs. Bakura felt his heart sink as a fist of sadness enveloped his heart._

_He snuck away from Ryou's side, going back into the living room to sit back in his arm chair. He simply didn't know what to do anymore. He desperately wanted to protect Ryou no matter what it took but every time he tried to reach and at make sure Ryou knew that his actions were necessary his brother reacted negatively, often with the same results as he had just seen a moment ago. He was so frustrated, he didn't know how to make things better between the two of them and still keep them together. Bakura always knew Ryou was more moral and righteous then he was but it was beginning to get on his nerves, the way Ryou always blamed Bakura for trying to survive. No matter what he did Ryou always was so disappointed in him. If he killed Ryou was saddened and disappointed. If he didn't kill they were separated and Ryou was forced into a windowless, empty room that the young teen couldn't stand. There was just no easy way to handle the situation._

_After nearly an hour and a half of thinking Bakura finally rose from the arm chair and padded into the kitchen. He was starting to get hungry and didn't have it in him to disturb Ryou so he could prepare a meal. Tonight would be all about Ryou, his own feelings had no place here tonight._

_Bakura rustled around in the cupboards of the kitchen, looking for some sort of food that would be more extravagant than what they normally ate, yet something he was capable of cooking. He found himself turning towards the few cookbooks in the house in an attempt to find something they would both like. Ryou absolutely hated meat, refusing to eat anything that once moved and thought. Bakura couldn't eat a meal without some sort of meat. Bakura continued flipping through the cookbooks before deciding on a baked fontina fettuccine. It was simple enough and Bakura had some ham he could make already in the refrigerator._

_Another hour and a half later Bakura finished cooking. The food certainly wasn't as good as if Ryou had made it but Bakura had tried his best and hoped Ryou would appreciate the gesture. Bakura dug out a pair of ornate candleholders and placed a pair of white candles the candle holders and lit them. He grabbed a pair of nice china plates and laid them out in his and Ryou's respective seats. He grabbed a pair of silver cutlery and set them down_

_Bakura realized that he was merely stalling and forced himself to leave the kitchen and head down the hall to the bedroom. Ryou had not shifted from his previous position except to uncover his head, but Bakura could tell he was still awake because of his erratic breathing and the way his shoulders still occasionally shuddered from a tremor. Three hours later and Ryou was still crying. The fist around Bakura's heart refused to loosen._

"_Ryou?" Bakura's voice was low and hesitant. Ryou's shoulders stopped shaking and his breathing hitched, but Ryou made no motion to acknowledge his brother's presence. "Hey babe, I made us some supper. It's all ready so come on and let's eat."_

_Ryou finally rolled over onto his back, reddened eyes gazing up blankly at the ceiling. When he finally spoke it was with a faint whisper, voice cracking and sore from his tears and cries. "I'm not hungry."_

_Bakura sighed exasperated. Ryou was being difficult; he clearly had not gotten over their fight from before. Normally Bakura and Ryou made up easily after their fights but for some reason today was going to be different, Bakura could feel it. "Ryou, just get up and come on. I made something special, just for you. I know you'll like it."_

_Ryou propped himself up on his elbows, his distrustful eyes coming to rest on Bakura. The brothers stayed silent for several long moments, Ryou peering deeply into Bakura's crimson eyes. Something he saw must have satisfied him for he pushed the blankets off him and slowly pushed himself off the bed. Bakura took several steps back, letting Ryou have enough space to properly get up from the bed. Without a backwards glance Ryou walked over to the dresser and dug out a pair of loose cotton pajama pants and the corresponding pajama top. He slipped on his clothes without a word before grabbing the comforter off the bed and wrapping it around his shoulders._

_Bakura had retreated to the bedroom door while Ryou was getting ready and when he was finished, with a silent motion beckoned Ryou to follow him into the kitchen. Ryou trailed behind Bakura and sat down at his seat silently, noticing the obviously ornate decoration his brother had set up in hopes to repent._

_Bakura walked over to the stove and grabbed a pair of pot holders and popped open the oven door. Immediately the scents of well cooked food tingled his nose as he reached in and grabbed the pan of fettuccine. He turned around and placed the pan in the middle of the two person table before replacing the potholders in their proper place. He slid out his chair and took his place at the head of the table._

_Ryou looked at the cooked food skeptically and distrustfully. "What is it?"_

"_Baked fontina fettuccine." Bakura looked up across the table at Ryou, hope in his eyes. But to Bakura's surprise Ryou stood up from the table, a hurt look evident on his face._

"_I'm a vegan, thanks for noticing." Bakura couldn't help but let his jaw drop down. Since when had his brother been a vegan? Bakura's surprise was evident in his eyes and voice. "Ryou, I…I don't understand. How long have you been a vegan?"_

_Ryou looked down at his brother for a long moment, an indescribable expression on his face. He abruptly turned on his heel, striding over to the phone and dropping it in Bakura's lap._

"_Make the call." Ryou swept out of the kitchen and back into the bedroom where he firmly closed the door. For only the second time _ever_ Bakura found tears springing to his eyes and he let them fall, staining the white tablecloth below._

X.X.X.

luckycatshadow: sorry that it's taking me so long to post new chapters. I'm allowed on the computer one day a week and I have three email accounts, two yahoo groups, a myspace, and this story. It's a bit much and a girl can only handle so much. I've tried writing each chapter in a notebook so I'll have it done by the time I'm on the computer but I keep losing the notebook. I hope to have one more chapter posted up before I leave at the end of July for three weeks for this college course I am taking. That means absolutely no internet access, at all. But hopefully I will be able to post another chapter when I come back. TTFN!


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

X.X.X.

Bakura's tires squealed harshly as he fish-tailed into the school parking lot, steering into an empty parking space. He had just spent the last two and a half hours wasting time and money at the nearby mall, picking up random knickknacks for Ryou and their house, somehow losing track of the time. But what really got him upset was that he never lost track of time, he was too well trained. Yet somehow he was unaware of the passing of time. It was the whole thing with Ryou and his new _best_ friend that was making him so angry and frustrated and he was slipping because of it. His brother had that effect on him.

The parking lot was relatively empty, classes having ended a half an hour ago, detention still being served. Bakura let an oath slip from his lips as he climbed out of the driver's seat, slamming his door closed. There were a few teens loitering around the school entrance, but other than that there were no people to be seen.

Bakura pulled out his cell phone as he walked towards the entrance, hitting the speed-dial button to call his brother. He put the phone up to his ear, counting off the rings. But no one answered the phone after seven rings and Ryou's perky voice started his voice message record. Bakura let another expletive slip from his mouth as he stuck his phone back into his school jacket's pocket.

He quickly strode into the school building, eyes quickly adjusting to the harsh, fake lighting. Only one student was still in the main hallway, bending over a water fountain. Bakura headed towards the student, eye narrowing as he approached. He recognized the teen; it was one of the kids that ate lunch with Ryou that afternoon. The dumb blond one.

The teen stood up, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and belching loudly as Bakura approached. He stopped, peering at Bakura's face, struggling to think. It took several moments before recognition crossed his face. "Hey, ya that Ryou kid's bro, right?"

Bakura forced himself not to strangle the stupid teen. "Where the fuck is my brother?"

"Huh?" The blond teen scrunched his face up as he slowly pondered over Bakura's words. "Oh, you want to know where Ryou went after school?"

The blond thought for a few more minutes. Bakura curled his fingers into fists and ground his teeth together to prevent himself from striking out at the blond. Nothing he could do would speed up the teen's thinking process. "Um, Malik said that Ryou went 'ome. Wit Marik. I tink."

Bakura spun on his heel, walking back out the doors, leaving the blond to stare dumbly at his retreating back. '_That bastard. Just has to have it all'._ He quickly slid into his car and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving strips of rubber behind. He had to find his brother. And fast. Before he did something reckless.

X.X.X.

Ryou once again found himself in Marik's car, this time willingly. Marik was silent as they drove, the music from his radio pounding over them. Ryou recognized the band as Ketchup Mania, but he didn't know the name of the song. He had studied popular Japanese bands before leaving for Japan and he especially knew this band for it was becoming popular in America, which meant he really needed to know their music.

They passed through silent streets, heading into suburbia. Marik drove carefully and silently, both eyes fixated on the road. Ryou had no need to give him directions; Marik remembered the streets from taking Ryou home the night before, the night they decided to become friends. Marik smoothly pulled into Ryou's driveway, pulling up in front of a two car garage. Ryou and Bakura's building was a modest two-storied house with paneling and dark green shutters. There was a small flower garden in front of a window, all different shades of flowers blooming harmoniously under the warm autumn weather. _'Altogether a decidedly very western house'_ Marik decided.

Marik bounded out of the car quickly, running over to the passenger side quickly. Ryou was still feeling a bit light headed from fainting earlier so he didn't voice any protests when Marik gallantly opened his door and offered Ryou a hand. The teen took the proffered hand and let himself be gently pulled from the car.

As soon as Ryou was settled on his feet Marik ducked his head back into the car, pulling out his and Ryou's backpacks. Ryou extended a hand to retrieve his own bag but Marik refused to relinquish his hold. Ryou didn't feel up to arguing so he merely turned and headed towards the door, pulling his keys from his pocket as he went up the path. Ryou silently pushed open the door, kicking off his shoes as he went and slipping on a pair of slippers. Marik followed behind, kicking off his own shoes.

Marik couldn't help but marvel at the interior of Ryou's house. He was used to living in extravagance but this house was comfortable without being overly ornate. There was dark grey paneling with soft, darker grey carpet. The front door led into a hallway with a set of stairs at the end. The doorway on the right led into a kitchen with a western-style table in the middle. The first doorway on the left was a bathroom and the second doorway led to a living room, in which Ryou walked into.

Ryou's voice echoed oddly as he called out for Bakura. But no reply came back so Ryou turned to Marik with a puzzled shrug. He turned and left the living room, leaving Marik alone in the silent house. The tanned teen took the opportunity to wander around the room, looking at the photographs adorning the walls. Ryou and Bakura were in nearly half of the photos, the rest were of a couple that had to be their parents, mostly wedding shots. Some of the photos of Ryou and Bakura featured another couple but since Ryou and Bakura were clearly older the man and woman must have been the aunt and uncle they had lived with for the past two years.

Marik decided his favorite picture was a shot of Ryou and Bakura that was taken in the summer. They were lying in a field of green grass, the camera having been placed at ground level. Bakura was on his back, his arms cushioning his head, face turned to the camera. Ryou had his torso propped up on Bakura's chest, his chin resting on his hands, lying so that he faced the direction Bakura was gazing at. Ryou was sweetly grinning at the camera while Bakura had an indifferent look on his face. Too bad Marik knew that all of the pictures must have been faked.

Ryou returned to the room after a couple of moments, a tray with some snacks and drinks placed upon it resting in his arms. He gently set the tray down and crossed the room to stand next to Marik, silently looking at the photos with the older teen. Finally Marik turned away from the photos and Ryou turned with him, gesturing towards the sofa.

Marik let the book bags fall to the floor next to a dark green couch. Ryou sat down in front of the coffee table, patting the couch cushion next to him. Marik all too gladly sat down next to the pale teen, pulling out a folder filled with their work from the previous day. As Ryou leaned forward to flip through their work Marik took a deep breath, inhaling the intoxicating scent that was Ryou. He couldn't help it, something about Ryou just made him go crazy.

Ryou pulled out the requirements sheet, reading the bulleted list with a faint frown etched upon his face. "Uh, um, we wrote the essay on governmental elections but this says we need to also make a poster depicting the steps the government takes to pass laws into effect. I have some poster board and colored paper upstairs, I'll just go grab it, if you want, you can start outlining what to put on the paper."

Marik acquiesced with a nod and the couch bounced slightly as Ryou rose to his feet and exited the room. Marik leaned back against the couch seat, closing his eyes. He couldn't help but picture Ryou in his mind. His smile, his eyes, his hands, everything about the boy just drove him crazy. Normally Marik was levelheaded and calm when it came to his attractions but something about Ryou just drove him out of his mind with need. No matter what he did he could not get the pale teen out of his head. And Marik was starting to think it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

X.X.X

Ryou silently walked up the carpeted steps, his thoughts fluttering wildly about his head. He didn't know how to react to Marik's gestures. He had no examples of previous friends to compare Marik to. _What is considered proper and what is going too far? Should my heart flutter at his every smile, every gesture, and every word? Is that how friends are? Is that why people become friends with others? Because of the way they make each other feel?_

Ryou let his feet automatically take him to his art room, where his hands went through the motions of picking up supplies they might need for their poster. His thoughts wandered away from the paper in his hands and back onto Marik. _What should I feel when I think about Marik? Is it wrong that what I feel for Marik is the same that I feel about Bakura? Is that what friendships are, relationships that are the same as love, but nothing sexual comes out of it? If so, how far is proper in a friendship?_

Ryou spared a glance towards the easel propped up in a corner, eyes following the lines traced upon the paper. It was still a work in progress; Ryou always started a new picture on every mission Bakura went on, painting his thoughts and emotions on a single paper. The finished work was always hung on the walls of Akefia's (1) office.

Ryou forced his eyes away from the painting and left the room, heading back down the steps to Marik.

X.X.X.

Ryou bounded back down the steps, arms full of art supplies. He walked into the living room, looking at Marik over his laden arms. Marik had his head bent over the table, marking scratches on the papers from the previous day's work. Ryou dropped the supplies on the table next to Marik, startling the tan teen.

"Oh, hey there."

"Hey." Ryou seemed to find something about Marik funny and burst into laughter, the most beautiful sound Marik had ever heard. He felt his heart fluttering in his chest and found his breath catching in his heart. It was like a choir of angels had come down from heaven and began serenading Marik with their pure sound. The light from the opened curtains formed bright halo over Ryou's head and Marik couldn't tear his eyes off the heavenly vision in front of him.

Finally Ryou managed to calm himself, wiping at his eyes with a trembling hand. "You, you got pencil marks…on your…face." Ryou had to stop every so often to control his laughter.

Marik blinked. Ryou moved to sit next to Marik on the couch, licking his finger with a swipe of his tongue. He bent towards Marik, gently trailing his finger against Marik's cheek. Ryou's finger sent trembles shivering down Marik's back, the good kind of shivers.

Marik leaned forward, letting Ryou's fingers continue their gentle stroking against the supposed pencil mark. Ryou wasn't sure when his gentle strokes to remove the pencil mark became something entirely different but slowly his fingers danced their way over to Marik's cheekbone, higher to caress his forehead, then lower still to dip their way across smooth lips.

The two teens remained silent, neither willing to break the moment between them. Ryou continued to let his fingers stroke Marik's face, but slowly his eyes slid closed and a soft gasp escaped his throat.

At that sound Marik could take it no longer and lunged forward, closing the gap between them in the blink of an eye. His lips crashed onto Ryou's instantly sealing themselves together with a deep kiss. Ryou stiffened, a muffled gasp escaping his throat. His hand fell limply from Marik's cheek to the couch cushion where it lay slightly curled next to his other hand. Although he did not return the kiss he made no move to stop the passionate kiss between himself and Mark.

Marik let his hand slowly drift up to cup Ryou's cheek, stroking the soft, pale cheek with long fingers. Ryou pulled away from Marik's lips at the motion but remained mere centimeters from Marik, slowly opening his eyes. He couldn't help but let his hopes rise; if Ryou didn't want to kiss he would have reacted differently. Instead he remained close. The tanned teen slid his fingers lower, cupping Ryou's chin with his hand, thumb sliding over the soft skin of Ryou's lower lip. He licked his lips unconsciously, pleased when Ryou's eyes followed the motion of his tongue. Marik lowered his head, letting his warm breath ghost over Ryou's lips.

Leisurely Marik closed the gap between them, brushing his lips faintly against Ryou's again. At first it was a tentative touch but gradually Marik deepened the kiss, moving his hand from Ryou's chin back to his cheek. Ryou's eyes had been wide with surprise but slowly he let them drift shut, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. Then, slowly, when Ryou made no move to stop the kiss he let his hand drift higher, sliding its way through the silky strands of Ryou's hair. His other hand left his lap, sliding around Ryou's side to cup the small of his back, lifting Ryou closer towards him.

When Ryou was close enough to him Marik let his hand draw soothing circles along his back, carefully getting lower and lower till he reached the hem of Ryou's shirt. He slid his fingertips under the shirt, sliding his hand along the silky smooth skin. Ryou's hands remained on ht couch cushions but his fingers flexed slowly almost as if he wanted to touch but could not bring himself to just reach out.

Marik gently nibbled on Ryou's bottom lip but the younger teen made no movement, neither to continue the kiss nor to end it. Marik carefully let his tongue trace the crease of Ryou's lips but they refused to part. He didn't want to force Ryou into anything he didn't want to so he eased back, remaining content for the moment with the kiss just as it was.

X.X.X.

Bakura twisted his steering wheel sharply, fish-tailing into his driveway. There was a dark green Corvette parked in front of the garage where Bakura normally parked. The assassin could feel a tick form in his cheek, there was only one person the car could possibly belong to. The one person Bakura did not want to see. _What was Ryou thinking, letting Marik come over to our house?! How dare he!_ Bakura angrily kicked his car door shut, leaving his book bag inside the vehicle. He stomped over to the front door, cursing angrily under his breath. The front door had not been locked behind Ryou and Bakura simply popped it open, sliding it shut quietly behind him. Ryou and Marik's shoes had been kicked to the side, the school shoes mingling together. Bakura couldn't help but feel a terrible premonition at the sight.

Bakura called on all his skills as an assassin to silently sneak down the hallway, peering into each room as he passed. The kitchen was empty and the bathroom door was closed with the light off. Bakura turned his eyes to the last doorway in the hall, the living room. He quietly set each foot down on the ground and lifted it back up with just as much care.

Bakura reached the doorway and took a deep breath before leaning in and observing the sight in front of him. The sight of his brother and Marik kissing.

"RYOU!!"

X.X.X.

(1): you know, the Ancient Egyptian form of Bakura, tanned, scars on the face.

luckycatshadow: sorry for the cliffie but if I didn't stop now there wouldn't be a suitable ending for pages to come and I wanted to post this before I left. I have a question for all my wonderful readers. Up until now I had planned the story with Ryou ending up with a certain someone. But several reviewers have wanted him to end up with others. So drop me a line, do you want Ryou to end up with Bakura, with Marik, or have Malik join them in a foursome, or should he be with some other random person? I am but a slave to my reviewers, whatever you want I will make it happen. You have several chapters to vote before I have to make serious plot alterations. Until later.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: this chapter is from the point of view of Jaylon, the man that was Bakura's mentor in chapter three, but it also another flashback chapter.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 1

Bakura/Ryou: 1

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 2

Other/Ryou: 0

People, you have to vote!

X.X.X.

_Today had been most excellent. Perhaps the best day so far. The progress made today was not all Bakura's; Ryou had killed an intruder today. My little eleven-year old Ryou. Course, he didn't know it was merely a criminal _we_ had decided to execute. He thought he was protecting himself and Bakura, not that he was dong _our_ work for us. And now there is no escape for him. He will never be able to separate himself from _us_, knowing he killed someone. Perhaps now his whispered words in his brother's ears will cease, knowing that there is no where to go now._

_What added sweetness to the cake was that Ryou remained to see the death. Witnessed it with his own eyes, watching until the last breath was gone. He did not flee from the body; he remained by its side till his brother showed up. Now Ryou must rely on Bakura to protect him from having to kill again. It was all delicious really._

_Bakura loves Ryou; there is no doubt about it. It isn't the affection of brothers; it is the love of lovers. Ryou is clueless; Bakura is trained well enough to hide his emotions, it is no problem to hide them from a mere eleven year old, especially from one was naïve and oblivious as Ryou._

_But I knew how Akefia feels about Ryou. He too is in love with Ryou. He had hoped that by separating the two, putting Bakura through training and Ryou into a closed up, empty room he could destroy the love Bakura felt towards his younger brother, thereby leaving Ryou for himself. He didn't count on Bakura being so determined to protect his brother, his resolve to freeing Ryou from that dreaded room._

_I probably would of gone crazy within a few days of being in that room, despite my training, which probably why I'm an instructor and not a field agent. But Ryou, a mere six, had more strength than I would have ever given him. He survived eights months in that wretched room._

_Even as a nine-year-old Bakura showed so much promise, even skill to easily become _our_ best assassin. But then he was separated from his love and all of_ our _work went out the door in the blink of an eye. Akefia was certainly mad, to say the least. Never have I, or any other of the members, seen him so upset. He couldn't just do away with Bakura, but on the other hand he couldn't just take Ryou, keeping him from Bakura._

_But then Bakura approached Akefia with a deal and Akefia was forced to release Ryou to Bakura's utter delight. They quickly became inseparable but still Bakura hid his feelings from his brother, content to just be around Ryou. I decided it was wisest to take Bakura and Ryou to one of _our_ training houses we have around the world. There Bakura's training continued but then _we_ decided Ryou needed a little something to keep him from ever straying from the guild._

_I arranged for a prisoner that was to be executed to be brought to the house this afternoon. Then Bakura and I went hunting, taking care of several targets in a nearby city before returning home to where Ryou had killed the man. Bakura was so convinced that the man had been an assassin that was sent to kill us for being members of our guild and I did nothing to stop that line of thought. Its better that way._

_I glanced in the rearview mirror, my eyes tracing the dark silhouettes that were Ryou and Bakura. Ryou was curled up on his side, head resting in his brother's lap. Dried tears still glimmered on his cheeks. He was sound asleep by now but Bakura continued to let his hand thread through his brother's silken locks of hair. If I was a pedophile and interested in members of my own sex I would be just as interested sexually in Ryou as Bakura and Akefia were. He is a very attractive child and I could see the beautiful person he would grow up to be._

_Too bad what they share is a liability in the world we exist in otherwise I would encourage him and Bakura's relationship. I shifted my eyes back to the road, watching the bright yellow strips pass us by._

_Suddenly I felt a slight vibration in my pocket, someone from the guild was trying to call me. I pulled into the first gas station I saw, it must be something important for them to be calling me at this stage. Bakura shifted with a start, peering out at the dingy station. In the back seat Bakura sat up straight, eyes peering into the store. Ryou shifted at Bakura's movement, raising his head, blinking the sleep from his eyes._

_I leaned back, catching Bakura's crimson eyes. He sent me a questioning look, his arm wrapping around Ryou's shoulders. I threw a handful of money in Bakura's lap. "You and Ryou go get some supplies; we still have a long drive."_

_As soon as the brothers entered the store I pulled out my phone. As I suspected Akefia was the one who had called me. I hit the redial button, listening to the rings. It took only two rings before the phone was picked up._

"_Where are you?"_

"_I'm at a convenience store about two and a half hours away."_

"_Did it work?"_

"_Yes."_

"_And?"_

"_He's taken it roughly. Bakura is consoling him now."_

"_Damn him!!"_

"_Sir, if I might say?"_

"_Go ahead."_

"_Perhaps you should be the one to meet us when we arrive. He will take it as a show of your feelings and perhaps trust you all the more."_

"_You may be right."_

"_I must leave sir, they are returning. I shall be there in a few hours."_

"_Don't keep me waiting."_

X.X.X.

luckycatshadow: sorry it's so short and crappy. But I'm back!! Hopefully this chapter cleared some things up for you. The next chapter might not be up for a bit, my cousin died and it's kinda hard around here, but I'll try. The vote tallies are at the beginning of the story but more needs to vote! You still have several more chapters before the plot must be finalized. Find out next chapter how Bakura reacts to Marik kissing Ryou.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: the previous chapter was from the point of view of Jaylon, who was mentioned in chapter two. He's just an OC who was in charge of part of Bakura's training. I think I mentioned this before but just to remind you, I now have a person to be Malik's boyfriend, just don't flame me for it!! Starting the next couple of chapters Malik will become a bigger character. And there's a lot, a lot of plot development in this chapter, so yay!

EXTRA WARNING: sex in chapter, so be prepared.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 1

Bakura/Ryou: 3

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 3

Other/Ryou: 0

People, you have to vote!

X.X.X.

Malik nervously bit his bottom lip, worrying the flesh between his teeth. His boyfriend's phone continued to ring, the sound echoing hollowly in his ear. After six rings his boyfriend's voice finally reached Malik.

"Hey there sexy."

"Hey hon." Malik's voice sounded weary to his own ears.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Malik remained quiet; he didn't know how to say what he was feeling in words.

His boyfriend could hear the sadness and depression in his silence.

"Malik?" There was a warning present in his voice, a coldness that had left for a while but was now back.

"We need to talk."

"I'm listening."

Malik sighed, he couldn't help it. "I-I don't mean like this, I need to talk face to face."

His boyfriend hesitated, only a split second but the silence reigned in Malik's head for a long moment, way longer than it really was. "I'll be in Japan next Tuesday for a conference, we can talk then."

Malik let out the breath he was holding in a whoosh, his heart lightening; he had just made the first step but he was still a long way from finishing this. "Thanks."

"No problem. Look, I got to run but we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I know." With that Malik ended the conversation, setting his phone on the table next to him. He let his eyes slowly close, he couldn't handle this much longer, but soon it will be over and he will be free. She said this was an important step in moving on and moving past.

X.X.X.

"RYOU!!"

At the sound of his brother's voice Ryou jerked back from Marik, the blood draining from his face. Marik remained where he was, leaning forward slightly towards Ryou, lips still scrunched together as if he would kiss the teen again. But his eyes slid open slowly, a smirk dancing in his violet orbs.

Ryou wrenched his head around, eyes seeking out his brother. When his warm brown eyes met Bakura's hardened crimson ones let gasped faintly, hands flying up to cover his mouth.

He struggled to his feet, legs somehow entangled in Marik's. This unfortunately brought him toppling over, falling onto the coffee table, his delicate head cracking onto the corner. Marik jumped up, bending over the dazed teen. But then he was roughly shoved aside, Bakura taking his place next to the stunned teen.

Marik couldn't help but notice how protective of Ryou Bakura was. He cradled Ryou's head in his arms, wiping the small trickle of blood away from Ryou's eyes. Marik hovered behind the brothers, eyes glued to the image of Ryou cradled in Bakura's arms.

"Ryou, Ryou?" Bakura's voice lost the previous harshness, instead becoming tender and gentle. It was one of the sweetest things Marik had ever heard and it filled his heart with warmth and love.

But then Bakura turned his head to look at Marik and the Egyptian could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped from the icy look. **"GET OUT!!"**

Marik couldn't help but back up a step, Bakura's voice had lost its soft, gentle quality and took on a bitter, livid tone. He risked another glance at Bakura before turning on his heel, scooping up his school papers and bag before walking out of the room. He didn't want to leave Ryou but he didn't want to push Bakura to something reckless. He just had to trust Bakura wouldn't do anything to hurt Ryou.

Satisfied that Marik was gone Bakura turned back to his brother who had gone lax in his arms. He gently shook him, waiting for a glimpse of those brilliant brown eyes. "Ryou! Ryou damnit, open your eyes!"

Ryou let out a soft whimper but opened his eyes like his brother told him to. His soft eyes couldn't raise themselves to meet Bakura's though. He could feel the crimson orbs burning him with their demanding stare but he just couldn't look up.

Bakura let his fingers trail over the little scratch on Ryou's left temple before deciding that it was nothing that had to be taken care of right away. He raised his blood-stained fingers in front of his face, watching the way the blood sparkled in the light streaming through the window. Slowly he brought each digit to his lips, tongue lapping at the crimson essence. His brother's blood contained a sweetness no other could contain, a taste he had never experienced anywhere else. It was delicious enough to nearly cause an orgasm.

Bakura let his hand drop back down to Ryou's shoulder, cupping it through the shirt material. He slid it around both shoulders while letting his other arm drop down to wrap under Ryou's knees. He stood up, replacing his brother on the couch he had just vacated.

Bakura remained hovering over his seated brother, his breath coming out on short, heavy pants. Ryou remained sitting down, his eyes sliding shut again to remain tightly clenched.

"Ryou…Ryou!! Damn it Ryou, don't give me this shit!" Ryou slowly whimpered, the sound hanging in the thick, tension-filled air. His eyelids slid upon yet once again, gazing blindly at the wall across from him. But Bakura moved to block the view, looming directly in front of his brother. "Damnit it Ryou, if you don't say something I will do something I might regret."

Ryou finally let this gaze drift over to Bakura, slowly sweeping up his legs, stomach, torso, to rest finally on his chin. He didn't have it in him to let his eyes rise up any higher. But what he did see scared him. Bakura's muscles were clenched tightly, hands forcefully fisted by his side. Ryou hesitantly opened his mouth…he had to say something, anything, whatever it took to calm his brother down. Ryou loved Bakura so much but it was at moments like this he feared him more that anything else. His wrath something best left undisturbed, it was like a deadly cobra deceptively hidden until the moment at which it struck, with no warning. But though his mouth was opened, words failed him…there was nothing he could say to ease the rage that his brother trembled with.

After several tortuously long moments Ryou finally forced his dry throat to swallow and managing to croak out words in hopes of calming down his brother. "Ba-Bakura…please…please don't…I…"

Ryou never had the chance to finish the words caught in his throat; Bakura let his fists unclench and with a swift violent movement backhanded his brother across the right cheek. Ryou's head snapped to the side from the force, his whole body turning to the follow his head. Ryou let himself continue forward, letting himself crumple limply on the couch, his cheek pressed firmly against the softness of the sofa fabric.

Bakura stepped in closer to his fallen brother, hovering over the whole couch, seeming to fill up the whole room with his violent and terrible presence. He began to shake and tremble, his whole body rocking back and forth from the movement.

After several long torturous moments Bakura finally managed to get a clamp on his anger, just enough to force several rage filled words out. "Want to tell me what the fuck I just saw you dumb whore?"

Ryou flinched with every word, tears springing to his eyes. He felt his breath catch in his throat and slowly the gathered tears fell slowly down his temples to pool on the couch. Bakura ignored this display of emotions to continue to shake and glower furiously at his brother.

"Well bitch, I'm waiting!" At that Ryou let out a muffled sob, fists clenching at the couch cushion desperately.

Ryou nervously swallowed, trying urgently to find the words he wanted to voice. But seeing his brother's rage made him incapable of speaking. But Bakura didn't seem willing to wait for his brother to speak; he angrily crouched down in front to Ryou and grasped at his shoulders, fingers cruelly digging into Ryou's shoulders. He began shaking Ryou harshly, as if he was trying to shake the words out of him.

Ryou let his head flop about on his neck like a broken flower on his delicate stalk. He was helpless to stop Bakura when he was like this. He could only ride out the rage and hope he was still alive and whole when all was said and done.

Ryou struggled to find his voice through the tangled web of thoughts speeding through his confused mind. Every time he thought he had grabbed it, it slipped beyond reach at the sight of Bakura's fury. Nothing he could say or do could make the situation right between them.

But all of a sudden the anger seemed to drain out of Bakura, the spark fading in his eyes and his grip loosening Ryou's shoulder. Slowly he let his brother fall limply to the couch, collapsing himself on the floor nearby. The older teen let out a desperate moan, long and terrible, a moan one would expect coming from a wounded animal, not from a teenager. "Please Ryou, why? Why, why, why, why? How could you do something like this to me? I'm your lover, your brother, I complete you and you complete me. How could you go and do that to me? What the hell were you thinking? Doesn't our relationship mean anything to you?"

Ryou had let himself fall back onto the couch, pressing his face firmly against the cushion, his torso also on the couch with his legs dangling off the side. It was most definitely an uncomfortable position but Ryou didn't want to move for fear of setting off Bakura again. He cast his eyes off to the side, unable to bring himself to look at his brother. Slowly Ryou felt the knot in his throat loosening, letting a trickle of air escape. And with that his voice.

"Bakura…please, I did not mean for that to happen. I, I would never, never do that to you. You mean so much to me; I could never betray you like that!"

"So why did you let that happen? Can't I trust you anymore?"

"Don't be silly, of course you can trust me. I would never do anything to you, to us. Bakura, please believe me. I did not ask for him to kiss me, it just happened." Ryou couldn't believe how desperate he sounded but he had to do something, anything, to restore Bakura's trust in him.

"Damnit Ryou," Ryou couldn't help but flinch at Bakura's words, "Stop lying to me, to yourself! You may not have asked for it but you certainly weren't complaining!"

"Bakura! How could you say something like that?! I never wanted him to kiss me and I would have done anything to prevent him from kissing me. Just believe me for once!"

"I've never stopped believing you. But I believe my eyes more. I know what I saw. You, acting like the whore you are becoming!"

Ryou was momentarily stunned, how could his own brother, his own lover say something like that to him, call him such nasty and untrue things (1)?!

Ryou swallowed several times, trying to clear the sobs that threatened to pour out of him. "Please Bakura; I'm faithful to you and only you. You're my love, I couldn't ask for anyone better than you. I don't want Marik, I want you!!"

Bakura stared at Ryou's desperate, tear-stained face pleadingly, as if he could see right through his brother to the innermost thoughts that Ryou harbored, the ones that he never wanted to let anyone know, the ones that cried out, '_yes, I loved it, I loved every second Marik was kissing me, touching me, caressing me." _But Bakura could not see those nasty, traitorous thoughts that squirmed their way about Ryou's head like worms through the freshly upturned soil.

'Ryou, Ryou, Ryou. I want to believe you but I know better. I know how much you enjoyed it. I can see it on your face, in your eyes. You disgust me! You're like a whore, always craving more and more. You can't even put it out for me but you let that bastard touch you with his nasty little hands and lips."

Ryou began trembling, like a car crash he could see what was about to happen but was powerless to stop the impact; he could do nothing to stop his brother. Bakura slowly rose to his feet, towering over the laying down Ryou. His hands slowly reached for his school uniform belt, letting it slip through the loops ever so gently, a terrible mockery of Ryou knew was about to come.

"Fine then Ryou, if its sex you craze so badly its sex I'll give you. Don't even bother speaking a word; I know what you want better than you know." Bakura's voice was gentle, mocking even as he bent down, grabbing Ryou's delicate wrists ever so carefully. Ryou knew he should be struggling, fighting to run away. But his muscles seemed to have locked up, preventing his escape.

Ryou was already lying on his back so Bakura just gently pulled both captured wrists behind the teen's back, looping the belt around them almost lovingly. He cinched the material in a complicated knot, not too tight but not loose enough to let Ryou get his hands free, just enough to cut off the circulation.

Bakura then let his hands drift slowly down Ryou's back, tenderly tugging on the shirt material to pull it out of the teen's waistband. Ryou slowly let his head turn so that his face was pressed into the couch material. He did not want to see anything as his brother raped him, he would rather cry in darkness. One would think he would be numb to it by now yet after so long the horror of being raped was too much for him to handle, the tears were already starting to flood his eyes.

Bakura let his hands caress the soft globes of Ryou's ass for a moment before grabbing hold of the younger teen's pants and pulling them down along with his boxers. Ryou could hear his brother's breath catch in his throat as he gazed down at Ryou's ass greedily. No matter how many times they had sex Bakura could never control himself when it came to his brother's ass. He had lovingly mapped out every inch of Ryou's delicate skin; from the dimple in the right butt cheek to the faint scar that traced its way across the top of his left butt cheek.

Bakura let his hands trace their way across Ryou's petal soft skin (thanks to the lotion he applied twice a day) before reaching for the fastener on his own pants. He slowly let them slide down his hips and pool onto the floor. With a smooth gesture Bakura stepped out of the puddle of clothes, settling himself on his knees straddling Ryou, carefully on the couch.

Bakura slowly let his hands fall to his erection, letting his fingertips ghost over the sensitive skin with a deep moan. "Oh Ra Ryou, you don't know what you do to me. How you make my blood boil at the very sight of your beautiful body, how you make my heart race at the sight of you beneath me. I love you so much, why can't you see that?"

Ryou continued to press his face against the smooth couch material, pressing his nose harshly into the cushion, hoping his breath would be cut off and he would lose his hold on consciousness, slipping into blessed darkness. A small voice in the back of his head couldn't help but notice how rational he was being, instead of panicking and fighting his brother he remained still, unmoving as he was about to be raped.

Bakura slowly let his hands fall from his erection, reaching down to get a firm grasp upon his lover's frail hips, seizing them gently but firmly. The older teen took a deep breath, steadying himself for a moment. Slowly, tortuously, Bakura let himself poke at Ryou's entrance, savoring the moment before plunging in deeply, stretching Ryou painfully.

Bakura let out a hiss as he felt Ryou's muscles clench tightly around his erection. His brother was so tight to the point of almost causing pain. But something always felt so _right_ when he was inside Ryou, like it was where he belonged for ever and ever. The older teen did not give Ryou time to adjust, instead plunging himself in and out rapidly, floating in a sea of pure ecstasy.

Ryou heard his breath choke raggedly in his throat, but there was no way he was going to let his brother hear the sobs that threatened to erupt. He continued to keep his eyes clenched, hearing his brother's grunts and groans from somewhere behind him. There was a fierce, burning pain in his behind and the rough jerkiness of his brother didn't help anything. It had been so long since Bakura had taken what he wanted by force that Ryou had forgotten the hurt it could cause, the pain that seemed to live in every part of his body, the rough treatment he was given as if he was some child's plaything.

Bakura's movements slowly became more and more erratic as his breath sped up. Ryou could feel Bakura's climax peeking in the way he roughly shoved himself in and out, and the way his fingers tightened no his hips, bruising the delicate skin. With a gasp Bakura felt himself reaching climax, one of the most powerful orgasms he had felt in a long time. It was glorious, it was sure perfection.

With a groan Bakura rose to his feet and remained leaning over Ryou, his warm breath washing over the younger teen's sensitive back, creating goose bumps on the pale skin. For several minutes the brothers remained in the silent tableau, an intricate portrait on fear and lust, domination and submission, love and hate.

Finally Bakura bent back down, untying the belt that had bound together his brother's delicate wrists. Ryou let his arms slump down next to him, slowly feeling the prickling sensations of the blood returning to his fingertips.

With so much love and care Bakura slipped his arms underneath Ryou's shoulder's, flipping the teen around to lie face up. Ryou refused to open his eyes though, instead studying the black and red lines etched on the insides of his eyelids from the light. Bakura slid his arms around his brother's knees and shoulder's, scooping up the teen into his arms.

With slow, patient step Bakura left the room, walking up the staircase to their room. He gently laid Ryou down the black, silky, 900 thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets, arranging his head on the pillow gently before pulling the blanket up over the faintly trembling teen. Ryou turned his head to the side, letting the tears fall slowly down the side of his face, dropping down onto the pillow.

With that Bakura turned on his heel, exiting the room without a single word.

X.X.X.

(1): little foreshadowing, notice how in Bakura's speech its lover, then brother; in Ryou's speech its brother, then lover…just a little foreshadowing, may mean nothing, may mean a lot, just depends on what pairing you vote on…so VOTE!!

luckycatshadow: there you go, chapter eleven. Hope you enjoyed. The third longest chapter so far. And a very plot rich chapter. It's not too late to vote, so vote, and vote often! And remember, the next chapter is another flashback one. Till later!


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: I'm being kinda drastic in this chapter. Instead of a flashback dealing with Ryou or Bakura this will be a flashback dealing with Malik is a teen; it's his first encounter with his boyfriend. Yes, the identity of the mysterious boyfriend is revealed. Malik is thirteen and Marik is fifteen. **WARNING**- there will be rape, so beware.

*** * * - -** _**IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT**_: this has kinda been planned out since the beginning so no matter how you vote it will take place; there _**WILL**_ definitely be a lemon between _**Ryou**_ and _**Malik**_, it's been in the outline since I began this story and I really don't want to take it out, I'm kinda attached to it. It may seem weird right now 'cause Ryou and Malik haven't really had any interactions so far but they will become closer in later chapters, like best friends closer, so don't complain.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 5

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 4

Malik/Ryou: 1

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

_Malik anxiously fidgeted with his tie, nervously smoothing the silky material over and over again until his brother's hand reached out to stop the worried motion. The two young teens were sitting side by side in their limo as they traveled through the silent streets of Domino City; there were few people on the streets in this part of the city, the type of people who frequented these streets were too ritzy to be seen walking around. Instead they rode around in their fancy cars, clogging up the air with their man-made stench._

_It made Malik sick to think about the amount of pollution people pumped into the air, spreading death to the environment. It was at times like this that he wished more that anything that he was back in Egypt, not in these crowded, overbearing cities. It didn't help any that he was now polluting the environment even more by driving around in these gas guzzlers, destroying the environment even more._

_Next to Malik he could hear Marik's even breathing. His brother was his rock; he stabilized him when he became confused with this world of business, politics, and decadent money._

_~X.X.X.~_

_Malik sat huddled in his plush seat at his four-person table, lilac eyes warily watching the multitude of rich gaudy people parading past him, their shrill voices throbbing in his ears. Malik nervously ducked his head, refusing to maintain eye contact with any of the business people thronging about the room. Malik was anxious for his brother to come back; he had disappeared to talk with one of his business associates for a couple of minutes._

_The sound of a man clearing his throat right behind Malik broke him from his rambling thoughts. He jerked around, eyes falling on a tall silver-haired man dressed in a well tailored red suit. The man's one visible eye was fixed steadily on the teen's face, stripping the teen bare with his piercing gaze. Malik nervously shifted under the man's stare, dropping his eyes back onto the tablecloth. Because of that he was not expecting the man to speak._

"_Malik, right?" Malik jumped slightly at the sound of the man's voice, knees thumping loudly into the bottom of the table. He nervously bobbed his head, hating the way he was acting._

"_Yes, you're Marik-boy's brother. Do you know where your brother might be found?"_

_Malik nervously licked his lips, tongue rasping over his dry mouth. The tall man's eye followed the action, something gleaming in his eye, something that Malik could not recognize yet did not like. It was a relief for him to hear his brother's voice coming from behind the man._

"_Ah, Mr. Pegasus. I was expecting you. I see you have met my brother Malik. Please, have a seat and we might begin our discussion." Marik gracefully slid around the man, seating himself next to his brother. The man, Mr. Pegasus, walked around the table to seat himself across from Marik, next to Malik. Pegasus took several moments to get himself situated, knees occasionally brushing up against the teen's legs._

_When Pegasus was comfortably positioned he and Marik began rapidly talking back and forth, gesturing every so often. Within the first few seconds Malik found himself confused, he could not follow Japanese being spoken that fast. But from the gestures and expressions he could tell the two business men were pleased and were very much in agreement. For that reason he felt a tremble run up his spine, and not a good one._

_~X.X.X.~_

_Malik slowly walked behind his brother and Pegasus, the two businessmen were headed towards the entrance, chatting casually together as they walked. Malik was still nervous around Pegasus, something about the way the businessman would look at him scared him, it was as if the man was stripping him bare. The two men stood for several moments as the uniformed men scrambled to bring their limos around._

_Malik couldn't help but feel a shudder run through him as Marik and Pegasus shook hands solemnly, exchanging words that were confident and amenable. He wanted to run up and rip the two apart, keep his brother from touching that slimy, disgusting man. Pegasus turned back, a grin on his face as he offered his hand towards Malik. For a second Malik thought about refusing to shake the man's hand but one look at his brother's face and he slowly extended a trembling hand forward. Pegasus's hand was cool and dry with a very firm grip. His fingers lingered slowly over Malik's hand, stroking the tanned flesh sensually._

_With a slight gasp Malik ripped his hand from Pegasus's grasp, unconsciously rubbing his hand as if to clean it. Pegasus did not seem to mind Malik's actions but continued to let his eyes linger on Malik's face until Marik distracted him with a comment. Then the moment between the three men was broken as a limo rolled to a stop in front of them and Pegasus turned to walk down the steps slowly with one final, lingering gaze on Malik._

_~X.X.X.~_

_Malik's leg bounced up and down nervously. That slimy grease-bag businessman Pegasus was back, this time in their home. He knew it was wrong to dislike the man, he was forming a very valuable business deal with Marik yet Malik could not help but to instantly hate the man. The way he looked at him, as if he belonged to Pegasus._

_Malik was brought out of his thoughts by his brother's gentle cough; lavender eyes focusing on his brother seated next to him at the oak conference table for a moment before glancing at Pegasus seated directly across from them. Malik had no clue why he was even at the meeting except that Pegasus had insisted on his attendance; Marik had acquiesced because the business deal was very important and vital to him._

_Malik nervously shifted in his seat. He couldn't follow all the business jargon the two were speaking but he could feel Pegasus's eyes burning into him._

_It seemed to all too long before Pegasus and Marik stood up; following their lead Malik rose to his feet also. The other two bowed to each other before Pegasus turned to Malik, slowly bending at the waist. Malik slowly bent over, eyes never leaving the other's face. He could see the lust and desire evident on the other's face. He may only be thirteen but he wasn't stupid to the wants of men. It was clear that Pegasus desired his body._

_~X.X.X.~_

_Malik lay on his back, feet dangling off the edge of the couch he was laid across. Above his eyes the pattern on the ceiling swirled and danced in front of him, pulsing with a hidden tempo. He was currently seated on a long couch situated in Pegasus's office; the man had requested for him to pick up some papers for their business deal but upon Malik's arrival had disappeared to another part of his office building, leaving Malik to wait impatiently._

_A click of the door being locked was all the warning Malik had before Pegasus was standing in front of him, grasping a length of cloth in his hands. Before Malik could make a move the man had pressed the cloth over his mouth, forcing the teen's head back onto the couch. His hands instantly rose to ward off the man but Pegasus draped his body over the boy's body, locking his hands in place by his side. The man wrapped his hands behind Malik's head, tying the cloth tightly, preventing Malik from making any noise._

"_If you want to live you won't make a noise, got that?" Fearfully Malik nodded his head; the man's voice had scared him in his determination and sheer creepiness. _

"_Okay, now I'm gonna release your arms, if you want to remain unhurt you will not make a move, is that understand?" Malik let his head jerk up and down once more, he didn't want to provoke the man into doing something more horrible than what he was doing now._

_The man slowly rose to his feet, pulling off his red suit coat as he stood. He pulled out a black piece of cloth before draping his jacket over the edge of the closest chair. He bent down over Malik again, gently tying the teen's hands together. Nimble fingers raced down the front of his button-up white shirt, peeling the cloth from his skin and draping it on the chair._

_Pegasus took a moment to pause from undressing himself to reach down and undo Malik's belt, leaving it in the loops. Next he slowly unbuttoned and unzipped the teen's pant, pulling them along with his boxers to his ankles. Malik felt a deep blush creep over his cheeks as he unwillingly flinched and let out a small whimper. Pegasus was standing over him, a deep look of lust evident on his face._

_Pegasus abandoned Malik for a moment to pull down his own slacks, stepping out of them smoothly, leaving his shoes and socks behind. He approached the half-naked teen, hands running over his creamy thighs. Malik felt another whimper escaped his mouth but Pegasus seemed to take no notice. _'I'm about to be raped by a horny, naked businessman!!!! Oh Ra, SAVE ME!!!'

_Pegasus slid his fingers between Malik's clenched thighs, kneeling slowly between them. The man grasped a hold of Malik's hips fingers tightly clenching them hard enough to leave bruises. With one swift move Pegasus thrust swiftly and deeply into Malik's virgin body thrusting in and out quickly._

'Holy shit, owowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowow!!!! It burns!!! Oh Ra…it hurts!! Make it stop!!!!!! Please, please, please, please, please, please!!!! For the love the love of Ra…MAKE IT END NOW!!!!!!! Please, please, please, please!!!! Take it out, it hurts so much!!! Ah, the pain, the pain!!! I can't, I can't, I can't!!! No more!! Please…someone…help, help, help!!! Please…for the love…of Ra!!! For the love…of all things blessed!!!! STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

_Malik could feel his grasp on reality slipping with each thrust from the older man. With each plunge into his abused body he could see the black creeping over his eyes. He prayed dearly that the end came soon._

_There must have been some god, perhaps Ra, perhaps another, looking down Malik that day for Malik quickly fainting before Pegasus could finish, collapsing limply onto the couch cushions._

_~X.X.X.~_

luckycatshadow: sorry this chapter took so long. I had originally started it as another flashback of Ryou's and half-way through I decided to change it cause I didn't feel it was the right time for that part of the story. I thought it was appropriate for part of Malik's story to be told. Thanks for hanging in there.

**WARNINGVERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ**my mom is taking away my internet so my next update may be a long way in coming. Hang in there, don't worry, I won't forget this story. Its just gonna take a little longer.

NOTEWhile seems that Malik is very much like Ryou in his nervousness it stems from a totally different reason. Ryou behaves the way he does because he has never been really separated from Bakura, he does not know how to handle people approaching him. Malik acts the way he does because moving to Japan was such a culture shock to him, everything is totally different from him, he needs Marik to help him manage living in a totally different environment, one outside his comfort zone.

I realize this fits like every stereotype of Pegasus out there, I'm sorry. I try to be original but Pegasus is just such a sucky character.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: hello again. Sorry it has been so long. The chapter has been a long time coming. Thanks for hanging in there. But without further ado, here's chapter thirteen. Major plot development involved. Don't forget to vote, heck, vote often.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 6

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 5

Malik/Ryou: 2

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

As Ryou's eyes slowly fluttered open he was met with a blinding flash of light, causing him to whimper and close his eyes. With some trepidation he let his eyes open again, squinting against the harsh light streaming from the lamp next to the bed. His cautious brown eyes slid around the room, finally coming to rest on his brother seated on a chair by the bed.

Bakura looked absolutely haggard. He sat slumped haphazardly instead of his usually erect posture and his hair was sticking up at weird angles as if he had been running his fingers through it worriedly. His crimson eyes were bloodshot and filled with unshed tears. Bakura's hands were clasped tightly in his lap yet that did nothing to stop the erratic trembling evident.

As soon as Bakura felt Ryou's eyes land upon him he jerked up and forward, hands reaching for his brother's limp body. Ryou felt his left hand being seized by Bakura's fiery hot clammy hands. He couldn't help but flinch, yet Bakura seemed to take no notice of Ryou's movement.

Ryou's eyes hesitantly found Bakura's, slight fear evident in the depths of his chocolate eyes. Bakura saw the fear and couldn't help but hate himself more. It had been so very long since Bakura had seen that fear in his brother's eyes; so long that Bakura had hoped he would never see it again.

Bakura started to open his mouth but then closed it, not wanting to start an argument just yet. He was content just to sit where he was, gently cradling his brother's hand in his own. He wanted this moment to last forever, to hold his brother before they were torn apart. For torn apart they would be.

But Ryou was not content to just remain lying there silently. Slowly he extracted his hand from Bakura's grip, pulling his arm under the covers. Bakura reluctantly relinquished his hold on Ryou's hand, letting his trembling hands rest once more in his lap.

"Bakura?" Ryou's voice was soft and timid yet Bakura could hear every letter as if they were a knife driven deep into his heart.

"Oh Ryou, why?" In contrast to Ryou's voice Bakura's was demanding and desperate. "I have to know why!"

"WHY?!" You're asking me why? I should be asking you why, not you asking me!"

"I didn't do anything wrong. You cheated on me! How could you do that to me?"

"You're not listening to me! I did not cheat on you. I would never do that and you know it!"

"Then why did I see you kissing Marik?

"We've been over this Bakura. I did not kiss him, he kissed me! I did nothing!"

"You let him put his lips on you!"

"I did not 'let' him! I could do nothing to stop him! Why do you doubt me? I thought we trusted each other!"

"I find it hard to trust you when I come home to find you making out on our couch."

"You have to trust me Bakura. If we are to have a healthy relationship we have to trust each other."

"I want to trust you Ryou. I really do! But you are not making it easy for me. Every time I try you make it so hard. First with Akefia and now with Marik."

"They don't mean anything to me! You are the most important person to me! Remember…together forever!"

At Ryou's last words Bakura felt his heart clench and, despite his attempts to stop them, tears began to drip their way down his cheeks. Those were the words he had used when Ryou had first accepted his love. Bakura clenched his hands tighter together for a moment before separating them and grasping onto Ryou's shoulders through the blanket. Ryou flinched at Bakura's movement before letting his features go lax.

"No," Bakura whispered, voice so faint Ryou had to strain to hear it. "No," he whispered again.

Ryou was starting to get really worried. His brother never cried. He said it was for weaklings and Ryou. A person in his profession couldn't afford to show any emotions. It got them killed.

"Bakura, what's going on? What's happening?" Ryou wanted to grasp onto Bakura tightly and never let go but Bakura's hands on his shoulders were holding him still.

"Don't you see Ryou? They're taking you away from me!"

A surge of cold dread rushed over Ryou in freezing waves. It couldn't be possible. They couldn't separate him from his brother.

"What…what?" Ryou's quiet scared voice broke the desperate silence that had filled the room.

"You…you're being taken away from me!"

"I…I don't understand."

"They…He…I just spoke with Akefia. Marik spoke with the guild about us. You're being taken away from me."

"What…How…I mean…huh…What's gonna happen to me now?"

"You're gonna live with Marik now." Bakura could barely speak through the tears clouding up his eyes and clogging up his throat.

"For…for how long?" Ryou didn't want to hear the answer but he had to ask.

"Forever Ryou…They're taking you away from me for forever." Ryou let a choked strangled escaped from his throat at Bakura's words. The teen thrust up desperately, breaking Bakura's grip on his shoulders to wrap his frail arms around his brother's shoulders. The two clung desperately together, refusing to let go of each other.

It was a long time before Ryou managed to speak again; to find words inside him.

"Why? They promised us. They promised!"

Bakura felt more tears well up in his eyes, cascading down his face to land in Ryou's hair. "I don't know Ryou. I don't know. Akefia just said something about Marik not being part of the guild and wouldn't speak with me anymore."

"Then they can't…they can't take me away then. They promised we could stay together as long as you continued to work. They can't go back on their word."

"But they specifically promised that the guild would not take you away. Marik isn't part of the guild. He…he can take you away and there's nothing we can do about it."

"I'll…I'll…speak to Akefia. He'll listen to me. He won't take me away if I can but speak to him." Ryou felt tears of his own creep down his cheeks, making wet patches on Bakura's shirt.

"Don't you understand Ryou? Akefia is the one letting Marik take you away! He would rather see you with anyone else but me, even if it means he'll never see you again."

"Ba…Bakura. What…what are we gonna do? I can't leave you! I-I…it can't be!"

The two clung together tightly, wrapped in each other for several long moments before Ryou spoke again. "When…when am I leaving?"

"To-" Bakura started but found himself unable to finish his sentence. He roughly cleared his throat and tried to speak again. "Tonight."

Ryou felt a small shriek bubble up his throat, tearing itself violently from his mouth. "Nonononononononononononononononononono!!!!!!!!!!"

Ryou began to frantically shake, convulsing in Bakura's arms. Alarmed, Bakura grasped tighter onto his lover. He spoke softly, whispering in his brother's ear in an attempt to calm the teen.

After several long moments Ryou calmed down, his trembling subsiding to a faint shiver every so often. Slowly the teen pulled himself away from his brother, mouth opening to speak.

'DONG, DONG'

Ryou was interrupted by the sudden, heavy tolling of the doorbell echoing solemnly throughout the house. Ryou turned to Bakura; pure, unadulterated fear swimming in his eyes.

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: Thanks again for hanging in there. The ending is abrupt, sorry! I had two more pages planned but I wanted to post this as fast as I could.

I know I posted at the end of one of the early chapters a summary plot for another one of my stories. However, I will not be posting that story for a long time, if ever. It was the first story I ever began writing and it needs some serious work done before it should be viewed by others. But I do have another story I am working on that I hope you will like. It's a Seto/Ryou angst story. But it won't be ready for a long time.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: here's the next chapter. I've decided to forego the flashback chapter, instead continuing the story plot. Sorry it took so long, I must have rewritten this chapter at least four times and I'm still not happy with it. But on the bright side I've figured out the endings of every one of the possible pairings. Enjoy!

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 8

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 8

Malik/Ryou: 3

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

'DONG, DONG'

The sound of the doorbell continued to ring solemnly through the house, echoing mournfully through the silent rooms.

Ryou kept his chocolate eyes locked on the figure of his brother, hands desperately clenched on Bakura's shoulders. There was a look of apologetic sorrow in Bakura's eyes but slowly the assassin stood, hoisting his brother out of the bed to stand on shaky legs. Bakura kept his arm wrapped about Ryou's shoulders as he guided him slowly to the door. Ryou struggled faintly but he was powerless to stop their forward movement.

'DONG, DONG'

"Ba-Bakura! No! Please…please don't do this to me! You can't! Bakura!" Ryou struggled violently to break his brother's grasp but his struggles were to no avail.

All too quickly the pair was downstairs and standing in front of the door. With his free hand Bakura reached out to push the door open, revealing Marik flanked by two of the Guild's agents.

~X.X.X.~

Ryou sat curled up into a ball silently on the couch, rocking back and forth, the two agents sitting on either side of him. Bakura was up the steps with Marik collecting all of Ryou's possessions.

The sound of footsteps making their way down the stairs did nothing to ease the tension in Ryou's shoulders; instead it had the opposite effect. Bakura came into view first, followed by Marik. The two teens were burdened with only a few small bags, Ryou didn't have a lot of possessions; most of the things in this house had been bought for the sake of appearances.

Marik handed his burden off to one of the agents and reached down, grasping a hold of Ryou's shoulder.

"Ryou." The Egyptian teen's voice was low and quiet yet Ryou could hear every syllable as if they were shouted. The teen couldn't help but flinch, his eyes drifting past Marik to land on the silent figure of his brother.

When Marik got no response he let out a small sigh. With a brief gesture to the agents on either side of Ryou Marik stepped back, retrieving Ryou's bag. The two men quickly rose from their seats and grasped a hold of Ryou's arms, close to the elbow. With one swift movement the pair quickly hoisted the teen up, rapidly pulling the teen to the doorway and into the hall.

Ryou's bare feet numbly hit the floor, stumbling and tripping as he was dragged forward. Marik followed behind him silently, carrying Ryou's possessions with one arm.

One of the agents pushed open the main door before continuing to drag Ryou out and down the path leading to Marik's limousine. Bakura silently followed his lover and brother and watched as the two Guild members forcefully pushed Ryou into the rear of the car before following him in.

Marik paused for a moment in front of the open limousine door before turning around and walking back to Bakura, grabbing hold the bag Bakura had been carrying. The two teens stood silent for several long moments, neither wanting to speak with the other. Marik was the first to break the silence.

"Don't try and contact him again. It will be best for all involved if you just simply dropped of the face of his world. You should even quit school now. If I find out you have been talking to him there will be hell to pay. And I don't think your _boss_ would much like that, now do you?"

Bakura felt a muscle twitch in his cheek. Never in his worst nightmares had he imagined that one of his clients would take his brother away from him forever. But now everything had come crashing down.

Marik turned his back on Bakura, preparing to get into the limo before Bakura's desperate voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Please, at-at least let me explain it to him. He-he needs to know why I did this."

"No Bakura. As far as you're concerned, to him you no longer exist." With that Marik slid into the limo, shutting the door with an ominous sound. The car started up and quickly pulled away from the front of Bakura's house, leaving the assassin alone in the middle of his yard.

~X.X.X.~

_Several Days Later_

Malik sat perched on one of the café's tiny chairs nervously, mouth as dry as cotton. Pegasus was supposed to be meeting him soon but the businessman was late, something very rare. Pegasus had returned to Domino late last night and the two had set up a meeting at the café because Malik thought it was best not to meet at the businessman's house where he could easily get the upper hand. Pegasus had been disappointed but Malik was adamant. It was time to end things; she said this is the only way to move on and beyond.

Malik caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye and suddenly Pegasus was standing next to him, arms outstretched for a hug. Malik remained seated where he was, eyes solemnly watching Pegasus.

With a hurt expression on his face Pegasus dropped into his seat across from Malik. "What's wrong Malik-pretty? Does somebody feel neglected?"

Malik refused to rise to the bait Pegasus was dangling, she said that it was important that he said what needed to be said and left before things got out of hand. It was important that he remained in control of the conversation.

"Pegasus, we need to talk. Seriously. No little games, no nothing."

"Malik-pretty, I don't understand. Is something wrong with my precious boy?"

Malik took a deep breath, steeling himself for the explosion that was sure to come. "Yes…We can't keep seeing each…in the romantic way. It's over between us.'

Pegasus's face remained frozen in his bland smile for several long moments before the meaning of Malik's words sunk in. Then his face twisted with pure rage.

"What?! You think you can break up with me?! WITH ME?!" Pegasus voice remained quiet, it wouldn't be good for people to see a famous CEO throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of public, however, Malik could hear the rage contained.

"Yes. I don't need you, I don't want you. And you can't do anything to my brother or me, we have more power than you will ever gain so whatever threat you come up with is useless for it has no effect on me. It's over between us. Don't try and contact me ever again, you are very lucky I've decided not to press charges."

Pegasus's face remained twisted in that angry contortion but the CEO dared not do anything in the middle of the crowded café.

With a swift gesture Malik beckoned for his driver to come over. Normally Malik didn't go anywhere with a bodyguard but for this meeting he had requested that Soubi, his largest driver, attend him so that Pegasus would be too scared at the thought of getting hurt and making a scene to try anything against Malik.

Soubi quickly hurried to his master's side, bowing low but keeping his eyes trained on the businessman. Malik rose to his feet, dropping enough yen to cover his small glass of mineral water. Abruptly turning on his heel the Egyptian teen walked out of the café, Soubi solemnly following in his shadow.

Pegasus remained sitting where he was in disbelief, jaw slack from the force of rejection. _How __dare__ he think he can dump me and get way with it! I'm everything to him; he can't just leave me like that! He __**won't**__ get away with this!_

~X.X.X.~

Malik entered his room with a sigh, dropping down ungracefully on his bed with a deep moan. The meeting had gone better than he expected but he was still scared that Pegasus would try something against him or Marik, regardless of how much she tried to reassure him.

Malik rolled over onto his back, staring lazily at the ceiling, feet dangling off the side of the bed. For some reason the teen had expected that everything would be different, that everything would seem more beautiful and perfect now that he was free from Pegasus yet the world still seemed the same harsh cruel place it had been yesterday.

With a grunt Malik pulled himself up just enough to grab hold of the phone that lay on the night stand next to the bed. With careful motions he dialed her number from memory, listening to the rings with baited breathes.

'Moshi moshi." The sound of her cheerful voice greeting Malik brought a faint smile to his face.

"Hey…it's me."

"Oh, hey Malik. And how are we today?"

"I…I went through with what you said. I broke it off."

"Really…that's great! How-how did he take it?"

"Well…as can be expected. He was very angry but I had one of my drivers with me and we were at a café so he didn't try anything. I'm just scared he's gonna try something."

"Don't worry about it Malik. It's a reasonable fear for someone in your situation but just remember, he can't do anything to you. You're safe…as a matter of fact safer than if you didn't belong to such a prominent family that has the money and power to protect you from slime bags like him. You need to just keep moving on, he can't hurt you anymore."

"It's just…I…I expected everything to be different, but everything's the same. Is-is something wrong with me?"

"Oh hon, nothing's wrong with you. Everything else is exactly the same. And it will be. It's you that has changed, in a good way. You're free now, he can't hurt you."

"Thanks…for everything. It-it really means a lot that you've helped me like this."

"Well, that's what I'm here for."

"No, I really mean it. Thank you so much. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you."

"Thank _you_ Malik, for having the strength to pull through this. So many people in situations like yours don't have the strength to stand up for themselves like you do. You have true courage and I…I admire that. I wish all people could be more like you."

"Thanks…again. You know just what to say to make a person feel appreciated. So…um…now where do I go from here?"

"Well-" Whatever the other person was going to say was cut off by the sound of someone screaming, a terrible soul-wrenching cry that shot straight to Malik's heart.

The person on the phone gasped but Malik didn't have time to register the other's voice. He quickly dropped the phone, luckily on the soft bed, and darted for the doorway. The scream, it sounded just like him in the beginning, years ago. Malik hesitated for a slight moment in the doorway, trying to figure out which to go. The cry continued even as Malik decided which way to run and took off in the direction of the mysterious wail.

~X.X.X.~

Ryou sat in the middle of the bed, knees drawn up tight to his chest. How long he had been alone in the room he had no clue, Marik had given up and walked out after Ryou had refused to listen to him, simply crying whenever the Egyptian approached him. The other teen had stomped out, leaving one of the servants to deliver meals to his room. It must have been days since Ryou had been brought to this house, the sun had rose and set several times but Ryou hadn't bothered to count how many.

The sound of the door clicking open broke Ryou from his trance. Slowly the teen shifted to lie his side so he wouldn't have to look at the servant who was no doubtedly bringing him another meal he would simply ignore.

However, the person who entered Ryou's room did not leave after the moment it normally took to set down a food tray, instead approaching the teen's bedside. Ryou felt a warm hand gently touching his back through the bedcovers. The teen jumped at the feeling, jerking himself violently from the other person, tumbling over the side of the bed in a jumble of blankets and pillows.

The other person was quick to climb over the bed, seeking to help Ryou. To the young teen's surprise his visitor was Marik. With a desperate movement Ryou extracted himself from the blankets, scuttling away from Marik's reach.

Upon seeing Ryou's frantic movements Marik froze, halting in the middle of the bed. The pale teen remained on the floor, eyes warily watching his captor.

The two teenagers remained frozen for several long moments, neither willing to make the first move. Ryou's eyes darted warily from Marik's face to the door and back again. Marik's gaze however remained locked on Ryou's face.

Marik was the first to make a move, slowly easing himself off the bed to stand in front of Ryou. Ryou shifted his weight onto his hands, drawing his legs under him to prepare to run if need be.

"Ryou…please stop this nonsense already. It's getting to be ridiculous. This is your new life. I am your family now. What was in the past is gone now and I'm all you have now. The sooner you accept this fact the better it will be for all."

Ryou continued to warily watch Marik, tears slowly tracing a well worn path down his pale cheeks. He remained frozen, watching Marik's every twitch and gesture.

Marik sighed heavily when Ryou remained silent, impatiently shifting from side to side with impatience. Finally Ryou spoke but it wasn't what Marik wanted to hear.

"W-Where's Ba-Bakura?"

Marik sighed heavily again, slowly sinking to the floor to sit across from Ryou.

"I…I don't know. He hasn't come to school in several days and he hasn't been returning any of my calls."

"You-you call him?"

"Of course…he is still under my employment. He has been contracted by me and he is not allowed to leave the country until I say he is allowed to and that will be when he has finished his job."

"I-I…I have to go to him! He n-needs me! Please Marik, le-let me go to him!'

With a frown Marik rose to his feet, anger etched on his face. "No! You are forbidden from seeing Bakura ever again! You are here with me and here you will remain! Just forget about him already!"

Ryou couldn't control himself anymore, the tears that had been slowly making his way down his face now erupted full force, flooding his cheeks with their salty liquid. Never seeing Bakura again, it was a fate he couldn't imagine. These past days had been torture, the only solace Ryou got was looking at his own reflection and imagining it was Bakura looking back at him. But was a weak comfort, paling in comparison to the real person. Up until this moment Ryou had been in denial about never seeing Bakura again. This whole thing with Marik was like a bad dream, one Ryou would be waking up from at any moment. But that illusion was broken, shattered into so many little pieces with Marik's callous words.

Marik took advantage of Ryou's distraction to move swiftly forward, bending down to capture the pale teen in a strong embrace, arms wrapping firmly around Ryou, leaving no room. Ryou let out a startled scream at Marik's actions before collapsing limply against his captor's chest, sobs racking his whole body. The two teens remained crouched together for several long moments; Ryou's tears the only sound in the room.

When it seemed Ryou's tears had abated slightly Marik gradually rose to his feet, pulling Ryou up along with him. Ryou remained slouched against Marik's broad chest, tears dampening a large patch of the Egyptian teen's undoubtedly expensive pajama shirt.

Marik gently turned and laid Ryou on top of the bed, positioning his head on the only pillow left. Ryou turned to head to face away from Marik, sobs continuing to rack his fragile body. Marik took advantage of Ryou's back being turned to slowly ease his pants down his tanned legs and lifting his shirt off his back, dropping both articles of clothes on the floor in a neat pile.

Then the older teen quietly laid down next to Ryou, wrapping one arm gently around Ryou's waist. At the feeling of Marik's arm on his Ryou flinched violently, twisting around to catch sight of Marik's nakedness. Despite Ryou's feelings he couldn't help but flush at the sight of Marik's bared skin. But that didn't stop him from trying to escape from Marik's grasp.

Marik wasn't going to have any of that nonsense however. With a quick movement he flipped Ryou onto his back, hovering over the hysterical teen. Ryou was swift to strike out at Marik, fists violently lashing out at Marik's bare chest. But Marik swiftly caught hold of Ryou's wrists in one of his hands, pinning them above the pale teen's head. He was careful not squeeze too hard, just hard enough to let Ryou know that his actions were not going to be tolerated.

But Ryou didn't seem to get the meaning of Marik's actions. He continued to struggle against Marik's hold, twisting from side to side fiercely. Marik lowered his body to press firmly down on Ryou's, crushing the teen's attempts to escape. The Egyptian unhurriedly slipped his free hand in between their bodies, grasping hold of Ryou's shirt hem. Marik pulled his torso up and with a swift jerk, yanked the material up and over Ryou's chest, leaving the material tangled over Ryou head and arms. This action freed up Marik's hand that had been previously holding Ryou's hands capture.

Marik dropped back down on top of Ryou, sliding his hands down to grasp hold of Ryou's pants and pulling them leisurely down Ryou's legs. It took a bit of maneuvering but he was able to pull them down and off Ryou's slender legs. Marik couldn't help but catch his breath at the sight of Ryou's creamy bare legs; the teen was not wearing any underwear under his pants.

Ryou continued to cry, voice rasping from the tears that had been flowing for several days. His tears were already staining the material of his shirt as he struggled desperately to breathe. Marik tuned the teen out; he didn't want to let the sound of tears ruin his first _romantic_ moment with Ryou. _If Ryou could but let himself relax this would be so much more comfortable for all involved._

Marik slowly began to kiss his way down Ryou's chest, paying careful attention to the teen's pale pink nipples. He slowly swirled his tongue around the non-erect buds, raising them to little peaks.

At Marik's actions Ryou began crying even harder, nearly choking on his sobs. Marik ignored the teen however and continued his way down Ryou's chest, pausing for a moment at Ryou's belly button. Finally the older teen reached his destination, Ryou's groin.

Ryou fell silent for a brief moment as Marik slowly took him inside his hot warm mouth. But then his sobs returned stronger than before. Ryou could do nothing to stop the scream that bubbled up his throat, exploding from his throat viciously. At the sound of Ryou's voice Marik released Ryou's length to stare dumbly at Ryou.

Ryou fell still except for the forceful thrashing of his head from side to side. He continued to scream though, never pausing for a breath.

The sound of fast footsteps outside in the hallway was the only warning Marik got before the door to the bedroom was slammed open. Malik stood in the doorway, panting slightly from his run from his bedroom in his search for the origin of those terrible cries. His lilac eyes widened in shock and disgust at the sight in front of him; Marik, naked, kneeling between the legs of a teen, head and arms bound by a pajama shirt.

The brothers stared at each other for several long moments, the only noise in the room being the sound of the pale teen's cries. All of a sudden Malik realized just who it was his brother was about to rape. _Ryou Bakura!_

Ryou Bakura, that sweet shy innocent teen Malik had met not too long ago. The teen that was so hesitant and careful around others. And Marik was going to rape him!

Malik angrily narrowed his eyes and quickly strode over to the bed, furiously pushing his brother away from Ryou. Marik was not expecting Malik to do that so he tumbled off the side of the bed, his fall being cushioned by the blankets that were already on the floor.

Malik reached out and yanked the shirt over Ryou's head down, covering the teen up. The Egyptian teen then yanked the fitted sheet off the bed, wrapping it around Ryou's frail body. Ryou continued to cry but his scream had stopped when Malik had pulled his shirt down. The young teen kept his eyes closed yet tears continued to leak out of the corner of his eyes.

With a disapproving glare that promised future pain directed at his brother, still lying on the floor, Malik picked up Ryou and swiftly carried him out of the room, making soft soothing noises into his ear as they walked.

~X.X.X~

Discrepancy alert: sorry, I just realized I forgot to put Ryou back into clothes after Bakura raped him, so let's just pretend Bakura dressed him while he was sleeping and he's been wearing the same clothes since because he is in too much shock to be worrying about changing.

luckycatshadow: so, very important chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Feedback is always welcome. Let me know if you like the way the story is turning out or, if not, what I can do to improve it. Again, sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Please continue to vote.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: A lot of Ryou and Bakura's past is revealed in this chapter, hopefully the story will make a lot more sense after this.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 10

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 10

Malik/Ryou: 4

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

Marik hesitantly walked several steps down the hall, ears straining for any bit of noise to escape Malik's bedroom. But nothing could be heard. Marik took a few more cautious steps, halting in front of his brother's closed door.

It had been two days since Malik had taken Ryou and in that time neither teen had been seen. Servants had brought meals to the room, informing Mark that his brother did not "wish" to see him. But now Marik couldn't take it any longer. He had to know what had become of Ryou.

He tentatively raised his hand, clenched fingers faintly brushing over the wood grain. Marik wanted to knock, _needed_ to knock, but he couldn't. Never before in his life had he been so nervous. _Never!!_

Slowly he let his hand fall back down to his side, palms sweating nervously. Someone could be heard muttering inside, coming closer to the door. Marik quickly turned on his heel, racing down the hallway before he could be seen.

Malik yanked open the door to his bedroom, eyes greeting an empty hallway. '_Huh, I could have sworn I heard something.'_

Satisfied that no one was in the hallway, Malik closed the door, turning back to face the huddled teen in his bed. Ryou had pulled the blankets back over his head, hiding from the room while Malik had gone to the door.

Ever since Malik had brought Ryou back to his room the teen had spent all his time huddled on the bed beneath the blankets. He refused to eat; his already gaunt figure had shrunk even more. When he wasn't sleeping he spent his time trying to stop the tears that kept falling. It had taken a lot of coaxing to get Ryou to poke his head of out the blankets but whenever Malik got up from the bed he quickly retreated back under again.

Patiently Malik seated himself next to Ryou's fetal body. The young teen had retreated inside himself after Marik had tried to rape him, refusing to speak or even make eye contact. Malik knew what it was like to be a victim of rape but what Marik had done to Ryou wasn't nearly as bad as what Pegasus had done. The only thing his brother had succeeded in doing was removing Ryou's clothes. '_There has to be something more here, something I'm missing.'_ Malik was dying to know why Ryou was here, in his house, and not with Bakura, and why Marik was trying to rape the teen.

Malik gently dropped his hand onto what he assumed was Ryou's shoulder. The teen flinched slightly but made no other motion. Malik curled his fingers around the edge of the blanket, slowly pulling it down from over Ryou's face. Ryou's eyes were tightly scrunched together, lips pressed tightly into a frown. The bruise on Ryou's head had healed nicely and the scratch was barely visible.

"Ryou." Malik kept his voice low, trying not to scare the teen any more that he was. "Ryou, it's me, Malik. I need you to open your eyes for me. Don't worry, no one's here but you and me."

Tentatively Ryou's eyes slid open, revealing pain filled chocolate orbs.

"Hey there. How are we doing today?" Ryou remained silent at Malik's attempt at a conversation. Malik let out a soft sigh, his fingers slowly threading through Ryou's limp hair. The strands were greasy after not being washing for several days but Malik didn't mind. It was important that Ryou was touched in a nonsexual way, to make him aware that it was possible for someone to be around him with no perverted feelings. Ryou continued to stare unemotionally at nothing in particular; pain, sorrow and longing etched on his face.

Malik knew that Ryou was in for a long hard road, he just hoped the teen would be strong enough to make the journey.

~X.X.X.~

Malik absent-mindedly drew heavy thick lines of eye liner around his lilac orbs, his mind a hundred miles away. He had not heard from Pegasus since he had broken things off between them and he was starting to become concerned. The CEO was bound to be up to no good. In the mirror he could see Ryou's motionless body lying limply under the blankets on his bed. The teen was always cold; he liked to cover himself with as many blankets as possible. Malik dropped the eye liner pencil on top of the dresser, picking up his brush. He had only got a few strokes in before the sound of Ryou's soft voice broke his concentration.

"Malik?" Ryou's soft voice was filled with hesitation and something else. Something desperate. Malik was so surprised that Ryou had started talking that he accidentally dropped his hairbrush, the wooden handle clanking violently against the top of the dresser.

Ryou remained draped in the blankets but slowly he poked his head out from under the pile of cloth. Malik swiftly crossed the room, dropping down onto the bed next to Ryou's huddled form.

Ryou remained facing away from Malik but he continued to speak, voice rasping harshly from disuse and the tears. "I-I want to tell you…about me. And Bakura. About what my life was like before-before we came to Japan. Before I met your brother.

"Bakura and I were born in a small village. I-I no longer remember what country. Possibly European, possibly not. Maybe 'Kura knows, maybe not, I don't know. He was born three years before me. We have a half-brother Akefia thanks to my mother." Ryou paused to cough-a harsh, barking sound. Malik grabbed a glass full of water off the nightstand, offering it silently to Ryou. The teen grabbed hold of it, raising himself up with his elbows to greedily drank several long gulps. Malik took the glass back when Ryou was finished, waiting for the teen to continue his story. Ryou retreated back into his shell of blankets, leaving only his head exposed.

"Akefia's father was head of the Guild; you know what that is right? Of course you do. Because of that he took Akefia from our mother so that he might be trained. Somehow my father found out about this and gave Bakura and me to the Guild, not wanting to-to be responsible for us any longer. Ju-just before we arrived there Akefia took place in a coup and overthrew his father, gaining control of the Guild. He decided-" Ryou paused again to cough before continuing his narrative. "He decided that 'Kura was to be trained but-but not me. I was…an incentive you might say, to encourage Bakura to work. I-I guess it worked, 'Kura is now one of the best operatives the Guild has. I was only three at the time, 'Kura was six. When I got older I started to question the way the Guild was operated and what it did. The agents di-didn't want me to corrupt Bakura; they separated us and-and locked me in a closed up, empty room. I was six!"

Here Ryou's voice broke horribly and Malik could tell he was on the verge of tears. Silently the Egyptian teen began to rub his friend's back, wordlessly letting him know he was there for the troubled youth.

"I was kept in that room for eight agonizing months. Bakura began to-to fail at simple tasks horribly; he-he was no longer capable of doing what the Guild demanded of him. 'Kura then made a deal with Akefia, let m-me remain with him forever and he would do whatever was demanded of him. Akefia agreed and then one of the agents, Jaylon, took us to a training house where 'Kura could…perfect his skills. We remained there till I was eleven before returning to the Guild.

"Akefia had me once again removed from 'Kura, but-but this time I went to live with Akefia while my brother finished his t-training. When I was twelve Bakura completed his training, he was fifteen. We were reunited and 'Kura and I were sent on…_missions_, if you will.

"'Kura has always loved me, more than a brother typically loves his sibling. I was but thirteen when we first had sex. It was horrible beyond words! At that time I hated it more than I could express in words. When I was fourteen I demanded that Bakura take me back to the Guild but he-he refused. It was then that I began to accept our relationship; to see it for what it really was. No matter how many times 'Kura had hurt me in the past I still loved him, he was all I had left. I know that the rest of the world frowns on our relationship but I love him more than everything else, though at the time though I wasn't sure that sex was the right way for our relationship to be expressed. But I know now that what we do is right, it feels right."

Ryou took in a deep breath, retreating back under his shell of blankets. Malik could barely think straight - Ryou and Bakura were sleeping together! And had been for years! And Ryou was okay with it!

Now Malik knew why Ryou had reacted the way he did when Marik tried to assault him, he was clearly repressing memories from when Bakura used to rape him and the attack forced him to remember it all. _Marik was SO dead!!_

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: sorry it's such a short chapter. I wasn't too sure what exactly I wanted Ryou to reveal to Malik. There's still more to his and Bakura's past but that is told in a later chapter. What is Malik going to do with the information that Ryou revealed? And what is going to happen to Ryou? And what about Marik? Please send me feedback - any questions you have, or concerns, or just plain comments.

Picture frame, wooden jewelry chest


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: wow, everyone seemed to have the opposite reaction to what I had predicted. I was expecting everyone to hate Bakura, not Marik. Sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter; I'm leaving for Canada in a few days and things have been so hectic. This chapter is a bit different from the usual, hope you like it. Enjoy!

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 11

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 10

Malik/Ryou: 5

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

The room was deathly silent, no noise could be heard. Every single person had frozen in fear, not daring to move for fear their leader's wrath would be brought down upon them. Long silent seconds passed, no one daring to be the first one to move.

Kneeling in front of the silent people crouched a single man, shaking from fear as he quietly cried. Sweat poured from his every pore and snot dripped down his face. Abruptly he raised his face, pleading with his eyes desperately. It had no effect.

The man tried a different tactic. "P-please sir. I-I didn't…I didn't mean t-to. For-forgive me, I-I beg you." The man was barely coherent through his sobs and stuttering. It was slightly sickening to the other people in the room to see a grown man with children crying and begging for his life.

Slowly the chair at the head of the long conference table swiveled to face the pleading man. The seated man's face held no pity; with a cold expression he flicked his fingers towards the men guarding the double doors at the opposite end of the room. The two figures walked forward, feet making no noise on the carpet. With a synchronized movement they reached down and grabbed a hold of the crying man, harshly dragging him to his feet. Then they proceeded to drag him kicking and screaming out of the room.

No one in the room made a motion until the man's screams had died out. Then slowly they each resumed their seats, eyes watching the head of the table emotionlessly.

~X.X.X.~

Akefia sighed quietly to himself, letting his head fall down onto the desk in front of him. Some days he hated his job so much. At times like this it seemed pointless to continue. He was all alone in the world; the one person he cared about was gone to him, possible forever. It seemed useless to continue living; he was surrounded by useless _slaves_.

With another sad sigh Akefia raised his head, eyes focusing on the papers piled before him. When he had taken over the Guild years ago he had not imagined it would be like this - all paperwork with only the occasional killing anymore. Today had been one of the rare exceptions. One of his lackeys had said something exceedingly stupid at the meeting today; Akefia knew it was a bit extreme to order his death for a simple slip of the tongue but it had been so long since he had been able to order a killing personally.

Akefia raised a slender bony hand, grabbing a hold of the nearest stack of papers. The top sheet was a fax from the Guild's office in Japan, concerning Bakura's operations since his assignment.

Wearily Akefia let his eyes skim over the page, taking in only a few words at a time. _Early success; swift completion; no evidence trail. _ But halfway through the page the tone of the words changed._ Easily distracted; inattention to details; failure to complete successfully; refusing to follow directives._

At the bottom was a handwritten note; the operative in charge of the Japanese branch was recommending immediate reassignment.

Akefia let out a third sigh as he dropped the fax back on top of the pile. This whole deal with Marik was getting more and more fucked up with every passing day. Akefia was beginning to regret ever assigning Bakura to Marik. But the Egyptian had insisted.

Akefia reached across his desk, grabbing a hold of his headset. His nimble fingers dialed the phone number from memory, listening to the rings with bated breath.

~X.X.X.~

Malik lay on his bed, doing his best impersonation of a dead person. Ryou was curled up next to him, frail fingers gripping onto him desperately, with a strength Malik had not thought possible coming from Ryou, as if Malik would disappear into a puff of smoke if he let go of him.

Malik still did not why Ryou was in his house, instead of with Bakura, and why Marik had tried to rape him. He dared not bring up the topic with Ryou though for fear of setting off the already unbalanced teen.

It had taken a long time for Ryou to fall asleep this night; he had insisted on Malik being in the bed with him but would start panicking whenever their skin came into contact with one another. Unluckily, Malik had a smaller bed; not liking the feeling of being entrapped by his bed, the teen had chosen a smaller bed so he would be able to stretch out and feel empty space surrounding his bed. It had taken so long for Ryou to calm down long enough to fall asleep but only a few minutes after passing out the frail teen had latched onto Malik, refusing to let go.

Unfortunately, Malik could not fall asleep as easily as Ryou. The Egyptian was a very restless sleeper, and he didn't want to make any move that might wake Ryou up. The poor teen had gotten practically no sleep in the past couple of days, Malik didn't want to take away from whatever respite Ryou got, as small as it may seem.

However, fate seemed determined to take away whatever peace Ryou had received. The shrill sound of a phone ringing broke the silence. Malik did not recognize the ring tone; it was some sort of classical music piece.

Ryou, on the other hand, woke up instantly, eyes blinking nervously as he took in his surroundings. But then it seemed to occur to him just what had woken him up. His brown eyes latched onto his book bag tossed to the side of the room, left there from when Malik had ordered his possessions brought from Marik's room to his own. The ringing sound was originating from the bag. The frail teen released Malik and tumbled out of bed, landing with a thump on his butt. The hard impact did nothing to deter the teen; he quickly scrambled to his feet, yanking his book bag to his chest. He quickly searched through the pockets, eagerly grabbing a hold of his cell phone.

Malik blinked confusedly from his position on the bed as Ryou answered the phone. _I have never seen a phone with that long of a battery life! Ryou's been here for several days and never has he recharged a phone._

"Akefia!" Malik had never heard so much emotion put into one word before. Happiness, regret, anger, and confusion were the only emotions Malik could recognize quickly.

Ryou nervously bit his lip as he held the phone tightly to his ear. He had not been expecting a call from Akefia of all people. He was slightly scared to hear from his half-brother. Every time they talked something bad always ended up happening.

"Ryou. Took you long enough to answer. I was starting to get worried. Don't ever do that again." Ryou could feel Malik's eyes on him, watching his every move.

Ryou bit down nervously again of his lip before walking over to Malik's bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. For extra security he switched to French, as opposed to Japanese or English, a language Akefia also spoke fluently.

"Je suis desolé." Ryou continued to chew on his lip. Akefia had been the one to order his separation from Bakura yet the teen couldn't deny he had missed his half-brother.

Akefia also switched to French. "Boutondor, its okay. I just wanted to make sure you're okay and you worry me when you take so long to answer. I don't have time for delays."

As usual Akefia made Ryou bad about himself again. He seemed to have a talent for making people feel miserable about themselves.

"Um…is there a reason you called me?" Normally Akefia didn't take time to make small talk; usually he got straight to the point with no extra fluff.

"I just wanted to hear the sound of another human's voice."

"You-you couldn't talk to one of you associates?"

"You know how I feel about those things. I said I wanted to hear the sound of a human's voice, not some thing's squeal!"

Ryou couldn't help but wince at Akefia's harsh tone. He hadn't meant for his half-brother to get angry at him but somehow it always happened.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry."

"You didn't. I hold no anger towards you."

Ryou hated it when there was silence between Akefia and himself. "So, um…how have you been?"

"Fine. And you?"

At those words Ryou felt all the emotions he had been fighting for so long overwhelm him; with a small sob he fell to his knees by the bathtub, his free hand wrapping around his chest protectively. "Akefia. How-how could you? You took away the one person who loved me! I'm so lonely! How could you do this to me?!"

As usual, Akefia's voice held no emotions. "Don't be silly Ryou. Bakura doesn't love you. You're gonna be fine. You don't need him. Now stop crying!" Akefia was always uncomfortable at the sound of his half-brother's tears.

"I-I'm so-sorry! I-I j-just can't. I'm so lonely!" Ryou was wailing, raw emotion making his voice crack and break.

"Nonsense Ryou. You have Marik. And I'll be coming to Japan soon, you can visit me then."

"Marik-Marik tried to rape me!! And-and I don't want you to visit me! I want Bakura!!" Ryou was half screaming, half crying. Outside the bathroom he could hear Malik climbing off the bed and walking over to the bathroom door but the teen didn't care.

For several long silent moments Akefia did not answer. Ryou couldn't even hear the sound of his breathing. Finally he broke the silence. "Whether you like it or not this is how things are. You better just learn to accept it. And it's final, I'm coming to Japan in a few days and you will be with Marik when I arrive. And that's all I have to say. I love you Ryou."

"I love you too." Ryou's whisper was so pitiful sounding any other person would have been moved by the sound of it. But not Akefia. He merely terminated the phone call, leaving Ryou to clutch onto his phone broken-hearted.

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: sorry again for the lateness. I sat down and typed this chapter in two days. I hope it's not too disappointing. I just wanted to get it up (lol) before I left for Canada. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews; you all send such wonderful ideas! Please send more feedback, it really helps me with the story. I want to satisfy (lol) as many of you as possible.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: quick apology time. I accidentally made a spelling mistake in the last chapter. When Akefia is talking to Ryou he was supposed to call him bouton d'or, not boutondor. For some reason my spell check program changed it to that, which isn't even a real word.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 14

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 16

Malik/Ryou: 12

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

Akefia slowly closed his eyes, stealing a brief moment's respite before his plane landed on Marik's private runway in Domino City. The Guild leader had had little rest over the past few days; he was too busy cleaning up Bakura's mess. He wished he could just get rid of the assassin and see the end of his whole sordid business but he couldn't. Ryou would be heart-broken if anything happened to his _darling_ brother and Akefia could not bring himself to hurt the one person he cared about in such a harsh manner.

It was most unfortunate that Ryou cared so deeply for that disgusting _thing_!

Akefia sprang awake instantly as his personal stewardess bent over him, close enough for the leader to sense her but not close enough for her to touch him. "My apologies Sir, but we are circling the runway now."

Akefia made no motion to acknowledge her, instead turning to look outside his window at the Japanese landscape spread out before his eyes, coming closer with every second. He was so close to Ryou, he could practically sense the teen's presence.

With a gentle bump the plane's wheels landed on the runway. Akefia had one of the most skilled pilots that had ever flown; he wanted only the best for himself and he didn't trust his life to anyone but the best.

The plane rolled gently to a stop in front of the only hanger on the lot. The stewardess was quick to pop open the hatch before quickly retreating to the side. Akefia grabbed his briefcase before calmly walking out of the plane.

The sight of several figures standing around was the first thing that met the leader's eyes. Marik was standing off to one side with a representative from the Guild's office in Japan. Malik was standing opposite his brother; Ryou waiting, head bowed, next to him.

Marik stepped forward at the sight of Akefia but the leader walked past him, walking over to stand in front of his half-brother. Malik shifted uneasily at the appearance of Akefia but did not move from his spot next to Ryou. As for Ryou, he continued to remain standing silently, eyes locked on the ground.

Akefia stared at Ryou for several long moments but the teen remained looking down, ignoring his half-bother's presence.

The Guild leader turned his eyes from Ryou, walking the several paces to stand in front of Marik. The two bowed in the traditional Japanese manner, neither one going lower than the other in the customary method of equals greeting each other.

Akefia was the first to break the silence. "Come; let us retire to your home so that we might converse in privacy." With a sharp nod, Marik turned on his heel, leading Akefia to his waiting limo. Malik and Ryou followed several steps behind wordlessly.

The Guild Representative also returned to his car, leaving to go back to the office.

~X.X.X.~

Akefia sat wordlessly next to Marik, inwardly smirking at the tension so evident in the car. Malik and Ryou were sitting on the side benches, both avoiding looking at the other occupants in the car.

Akefia felt his inward smile grow wider. This family would be so much fun to fuck up…entertainment he hadn't had in a long time, not since he screwed with Ryou and Bakura.

Akefia leaned forward in his seat, turning sideways to look at Marik. But his crimson eyes flickered off to the side to look at Malik with a predatory gaze.

"I trust I find you and your brother in good health, yes?" Marik looked up at Akefia words while Malik shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Ryou flinched away.

"Yes, yes. And you?"

"I am very fine now, thank you." Ryou closed his eyes at Akefia's so obvious words. He knew what Akefia was getting at, even if the others did not.

The rest of the car ride was silent; the occupants each lost in their own private thoughts. At the mansion Marik was the first one out, followed by Akefia, then Malik and Ryou.

The four silently walked up the entrance steps where the door immediately swung open by the hands of the silent butler. Marik led the silent company into the dining room where four spots were set out.

Marik seated himself gracefully at the head of the table, Akefia placing himself on the teen's right. Malik and Ryou paused at the doorway, eyes taking in the sight in front of them. The two other places at the dining table were on opposite sides of the table, one next to Akefia and one across from him.

Ryou felt himself shuddering slightly but bravely he squared his shoulders and seated himself next to his half-brother while Malik took the seat across the table.

Silently servants entered the room carrying silver bowls. They placed their burdens in front of the seated, pulling of the lids in graceful unison. A piece of wagashi sat on the trays along with a cup of matcha.

They silently each ate their piece of wagashi before swallowing their matcha in several quick swallows. Ryou gagged silently on the taste of the bitter tea mixed with the sweet taste of the wagashi. It was the first thing he had eaten in days and it settled in his stomach harshly.

The servants reentered the room, clearing away used trays and replacing them with plates of food. Dōfu, elegantly sculpted into shapes to represent the season lay next to mochi covered with anko. More pieces of wagashi were also placed on the plates; everything artistically arranged.

The four started their meal silently. Ryou took slow, tiny bites, not wanting to hurt himself after not eating for so long.

Marik ate heartedly; seemingly ignorant of the tension surrounding the table; but his eyes flickered every so often to gaze on Ryou. This was his first time seeing the teen in a week, and he looked pitiful. The teen had lost even more weight, appearing stickly thin. The way he ate made it obvious that he had not eaten in a long time but he didn't want to gorge himself on food.

Akefia also ate as if he was ignorant of the tension but his eyes focused on Ryou solely. His brother was thin, too thin. It was evident that he had resumed his anorexic ways, something Akefia thought he had gotten rid of long ago. But it was so relieving to be close to Ryou again, it had been far too long. He had missed human contact.

Malik kept his eyes trained on both Akefia and Marik. He hadn't seen his brother since he had found him trying to rape Ryou. He seemed in good spirits but he kept looking at Ryou, almost as if he was something tasty he wanted to eat. And Akefia was no better. The man kept watching Ryou as if everything he did was the most perfect, amazing thing ever. And it drove Malik insane.

Akefia was the first to break the silence. He glanced up from Ryou to meet Malik's eyes. "So, how is Pegasus doing?"

Marik looked up, confused. _Why would Malik know anything about Pegasus?_

Malik instantly grew panicked. Marik didn't know about his and Pegasus' previous relationship. And he had been planning on keeping it that way. "Um," Malik nervously cleared his throat. "He's fine, I guess."

"Just fine? Are there any commitment ceremony plans in the future?"

Marik had been taking a drink of his tea at that moment and he began to cough, feeling the drink refuse to go down the right tube.

Malik looked as if he had been punched in the stomach, his mouth opening and closing several times, though no noise came out. Ryou dropped his fork, chocolate eyes flying to his half-brother for the first time all night.

Finally Malik regained his voice, though it came out very high pitched. "E-Excuse me?"

"Well, I was informed that you have been in a romantic relationship with Pegasus Crawford for the past several years? Is that not true?"

"I-I," Malik's eyes darted around the room wildly, looking for a way out of the conversation. He could feel Marik's eyes burning into him angrily. Without another word Malik rose to his feet, knocking his chair over in his haste. He quickly fled the room, eyes burning with unshed tears as he slammed the door behind himself

The three left behind sat stunned, food forgotten for the moment. Nervously Marik broke the silence, clearing his throat roughly. "My apologies. Please, excuse my brother's absence, along with mine."

Akefia nodded his head gracefully; and without another word Marik rose to his feet and left in pursuit of his brother.

Ryou was left alone with his half-brother, the first time since Bakura and he had left for this assignment. For several long moments the two sat silently. Akefia was the first to disturb the peace.

"How have you been Ryou?"

"Miserable. Did you have to do that?"

"I was merely inquiring as to the well-being of Malik's relationship. I was not aware that there was any trouble and that Marik was not informed."

Ryou snorted at Akefia's words, crossing his arms angrily.

Akefia pushed back his chair and angled it so he could face his half-brother. Ryou made no motion to face Akefia so he pulled the teen's chair around to face him. "Ryou…I'm sorry that things turned out this way. This isn't how I imagined it at all."

Ryou knew Akefia was not speaking about Malik any more. He turned his face to meet his brother's, tears swimming in his eyes. "How-how did you think things were going to happen?"

"I imagined that Bakura would have been competent enough to complete his job, with or without you."

"Is that what you think about our relationship? That-that I'm some...toy for Bakura to use until he tires of me? Is that what you believe?"

"Yes."

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: sorry for the shitty ending. It has been so long since I posted the last chapter and I just wanted to get the next one up before everyone thought I had died. I'm still here and I will never leave any story unfinished, if it kills me to post it.

**NOTE:** just so no one gets the wrong idea – Akefia loves Ryou, but he is not _in love_ with Ryou. He believes that he and Ryou are the only _true_ humans, everyone else on the planet don't deserve to call themselves humans.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: this is probably the most important chapter so far. There is a story changing revelation ahead. Please let me know what you think. It's very short chapter but really important.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 16

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 17

Malik/Ryou: 16

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

**Last Time**

_Akefia pushed back his chair and angled it so he could face his half-brother. Ryou made no motion to face Akefia so he pulled the teen's chair around to face him. "Ryou…I'm sorry that things turned out this way. This isn't how I imagined it at all."_

_Ryou knew Akefia was not speaking about Malik any more. He turned his face to meet his brother's, tears swimming in his eyes. "How-how did you think things were going to happen?"_

"_I imagined that Bakura would have been competent enough to complete his job, with or without you."_

"_Is that what you think about our relationship? That-that I'm some...toy for Bakura to use until he tires of me? Is that what you believe?"_

"_Yes."_

~X.X.X.~

Ryou pushed back his chair angrily, fists hitting the table angrily. "What is your problem Akefia? Huh? Why are you so against him? He's your brother too for goodness sake!"

Akefia remained seated, eyes rising to meet his brother's. "Ryou, stop this nonsense. Sit down already and finish your meal."

"NO!!" Ryou regretted his outburst the second after, his hands flying up to cover his mouth. Akefia finally rose to his feet, chair hitting the floor in his haste. His calm and cool exterior was gone, replaced by an angry, violent expression that darkened his face.

"What! The! Fuck?! It you just raise your fucking voice at me?!"

Ryou cowered against the table, his fighting spirit totally gone as tears filled his eyes. Akefia angry was something no one ever wanted to see. He rarely ever lost his temper, not even when people were trying to kill him. But somehow Ryou managed to rile his half-brother up occasionally.

"Gomen nasai, desolè, sorry!" Ryou was babbling now but he wanted to calm his brother down before he did something really bad, which always ended up hurting Bakura in the end.

Akefia took several shaky breaths as he ran his trembling hands through his hair haphazardly. He almost never got angry but somehow Ryou managed to get him riled up, albeit in a good way. He liked verbally sparring with Ryou, as long as the other teen knew when to back down.

Akefia bent down and scooped up his chair, standing it up before taking a seat. He picked back up his eating utensils and resumed eating his dōfu, no longer looking at his brother.

Ryou remained standing for several seconds, fists clenched as he breathed heavily. Finally he also pulled his chair up to the table and also sat down although he did not continue to eat.

Akefia finished his food before turning to his brother with a soft sigh. 'Ryou, I know you don't understand why I do not like Bakura, for I must admit that I have not been completely honest with you. What I have to say, you may not believe it at first. But it is true, and I can prove it."

Ryou leaned back in his chair uneasily, eyes rising to meet his half-brother's. He knew what was about to be told him was something he probably did not want to hear. "Bakura is not your brother. He was paired with you when he arrived at the Guild because you were both part of a new, radical program that was designed to make better killers. We led you both to believe you were related because part of the program depended on the assassin of the pair being driven by the need to protect his or her 'sibling.'

"While I am your half-brother, Bakura is in no way related to you. But you did not like the Guild or its mission and so you began to convince Bakura to stop participating. I couldn't just remove you permanently but we did lead Bakura to believe that you would be harmed unless he cooperated. I also had it set up so that you were force to kill a man because I believed that it would drive you from Bakura. But you were so resilient."

Ryou felt the tears that were in his eyes begin to fall rapidly but he made no move to stop them. He struggled to find his voice for several moments. "Wha-what?" His voice cracked painfully but he continued to speak. "I-I don't understand. How-how can he not be my brother?"

"Ryou, please, don't be emotional. It's very simple. Bakura isn't your brother."

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: hehehe.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

luckycatshadow: **WARNING** – lemon ahead!

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 16

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 21

Malik/Ryou: 19

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

**Last Time**

_Ryou felt the tears that were in his eyes begin to fall rapidly but he made no move to stop them. He struggled to find his voice for several moments. "Wha-what?" His voice cracked painfully but he continued to speak. "I-I don't understand. How-how can he not be my brother?"_

"_Ryou please, don't be emotional. It's very simple. Bakura isn't your brother."_

~X.X.X.~

Ryou felt tears continue to flow down his cheeks. He opened his mouth to speak but at that moment Marik and Malik returned, each bowing apologetically before returning to their seats.

Malik had tear streaks on his face but he was no longer crying. Marik was stony-faced but Ryou could see anger glinting in his eyes.

After several moments Akefia broke the silence, asking Marik conversationally about his work. The two conversed as the Egyptians finished their meal. At the end of the meal Marik invited Akefia to retire to his study with him so that they might speak about private matters.

Malik and Ryou quickly fled the room, retreating to Malik's room.

As soon as Ryou shut the door behind him Malik started to cry again, though the tears were the soft, quiet kind. Feeling helpless, Ryou steered Malik to his bed and wrapped his arms around him comfortingly, rubbing his back soothingly.

It took Malik nearly half an hour to get out his story - about how at age thirteen he had been forced into a relationship with Pegasus so that Marik would not be hurt, about how he was raped many times over the years, about how he and Marik had grown apart through Malik's attempts to protect him, about how Malik no longer had any close friends, about how he was scared all the time that Marik would be hurt, about how he had to visit a therapist several times a week.

Then it was Ryou's turn to talk. Malik managed to get all of the details out of Ryou that Akefia had just revealed. At the end of the conversation both boys were so drained emotionally and mentally that they just collapsed together on the bed, curling up in each other's embrace.

~X.X.X.~

Marik entered Malik's bedroom several hours later, eyes widening upon seeing the sight of his brother and his love curled up on the bedcovers together. He silently retreated out of the room, closing the door gently. He withdrew down the hall and the stairs, entering his study with a soft sigh. Akefia was sitting in front of his desk, arms crossed solemnly.

The Egyptian seated himself at his desk, hands clasped in front of him on the wood.

As usual, Akefia broke the silence first, jumping straight to the point. "I am here to offer the Guild's apologies as well as my own personal apologies. The task you have requested for us to perform has been completed in a less than satisfactory way. The person you hired consistently failed at his duties over the past few days and we were forced to complete your work with a lesser professional. I am here to offer our full support in any reparations you would demand of us."

Marik leaned back in his chair thinking pensively. There was only one thing he wanted from Akefia but he wasn't sure how well the Guild leader would accept his demand.

~X.X.X.~

Ryou woke up slowly just as the door clicked behind Marik, eyes blinking sleepily as he tried to remember where he was. The warmth at his back was familiar but he did not recognize the room he was in. But then the memory of several hours ago rushed in on him. Ryou stifled a moan at the memory of Akefia being nearby but he refused to make another noise, not wanting to disturb Malik in the few moments of peace the teen had.

But several moments after Ryou woke he could feel Malik begin to stir at his back. Ryou shifted in Malik's arms so that he could look at the other teen's face. Malik had a dazed look on his face but that cleared up within several moments. His voice, however, was still slurred with sleep.

"You're really pretty, you know?"

Ryou blushed faintly at Malik's words. "You're pretty too."

"No." Malik let out a half-sigh, half-moan. "No, you-you definitely are the prettiest-prettiest person like, ever!"

Ryou felt his blush intensify as he gazed deeply into Malik's lavender eyes. "Thank you."

Despite Malik's words, Ryou was not expecting what Malik did next. The Egyptian leaned forward slightly, kissing Ryou gently on the mouth. The younger teen did not know how to react at first - Malik's lips felt wonderful, but they were different from Bakura's.

Malik could feel Ryou's hesitance so he withdrew slightly, remaining only a few centimeters from Ryou's face. The white-head had closed his eyes but he did not make any attempt to move away. Malik took that as an invite to kiss Ryou again, this time with more passion.

Ryou hesitantly, then more firmly, returned Malik's second kiss. He could feel the Egyptian's hands start to creep up his sides, pushing up his shirt's material slightly. Ryou moaned slightly into Malik's mouth, reaching over to grasp onto Malik's waist.

Malik slowly rolled over, pulling Ryou to lie under him. The two broke apart for a moment, only for Malik to latch onto Ryou's neck, sucking the pale skin softly, though hard enough to leave a mark if he kept it up for several more moments. Ryou gasped quietly, arching off the bed slightly at the feeling of Malik's talented lips.

Malik pulled Ryou's shirt up to his neck, briefly removing his lips so he could pull the cloth up over Ryou's head. Ryou raised his head off the blankets so that his shirt could be removed before attaching his lips to Malik's again.

Malik sucked tenderly on Ryou's bottom lip before biting down lightly. Ryou gasped at the feeling before moaning softly. Malik removed his hands from Ryou's waist to grasp his own shirt, unfastening the buttons clumsily. Ryou's hands joined his, pushing the buttons through their holes professionally.

Malik shrugged his arms through the sleeves, tossing his shirt to the side randomly. Ryou took the initiative suddenly, lacing his fingers through Malik's hair, pulling his head down to attack his lips, nipping softly at the bottom. Malik let his hands rub over Ryou's chest delicately, as if he was trying to memorize the feeling of his skin. Then, slowly, he lowered his hands to Ryou's waistband, fingers gliding over the material sensuously.

Ryou mimicked Malik's movements gracefully, fingers mapping out Malik's chest before grabbing a hold of his pants. Malik slowly undid the fastening on Ryou's dress pants, easing the zipper done smoothly. Ryou's hands repeated the action on Malik but his fingers trembled slightly as he did.

Malik continued to passionately kiss Ryou but slowly his lips moved lower, coming to rest on the hollow of Ryou's throat. Ryou moaned softly as he pushed Malik's pants down his hips, chest rising and falling rapidly.

Malik dragged Ryou's pants and boxers down in one quick move, leaving them pooled at the teen's ankles before he kicked them off. Now, both teens were naked, skin glistening faintly from their sweat. Malik slowly trailed his lips down Ryou's chest, lavishing the teen's skin with soft, delicate, teasing kisses. Ryou moaned again, louder this time as Malik's mouth strayed dangerously close to his penis.

Malik's eyes glittered laughingly as he glanced at the view in front of him. Ryou's length bobbed tantalizingly in front of his face, tip glistening with precum. Malik opened his mouth and slowly took in the first inch, tongue tracing intricate patterns on the surface while he hummed softly. Ryou cried out breathlessly at Malik's actions, back arching several inches off the bed. His hands curled into tight fists around the blankets as he struggled to breath.

Malik swallowed more of Ryou's erection, head bobbing softly as he licked up and down. Malik used one of his hands to gently caress Ryou's sacks, fingers stroking the flesh sensually. Ryou moaned again, followed by several quick gasps as he felt his orgasm nearing. Malik could feel Ryou approaching, so with a devilish smirk, he pulled up, abandoning Ryou's erections to kiss the teen's chest. Malik stealthily reached over to his nightstand, pulling a bottle of lube out. He raised his head to meet Ryou's lips, tongues battling fiercely. Malik squirted a dollop of gel onto his fingers, slicking each digit up erotically. He reached down slowly, rubbing his index finger around Ryou's entrance before slowly pushing it in.

Ryou gasped at the intrusion, pulling away from Malik's lips for a moment. Malik halted his motions, eyes watching Ryou's face worriedly. The teen had scrunched his eyes closed, a look of pain on his face. But slowly his muscles relaxed and he opened his eyes, catching Malik's in his gaze. The Egyptian bent down, lips finding Ryou's again as he slowly inserted a second finger. Ryou moaned into the kiss, grinding his hips suggestively into Malik's.

Malik couldn't take any more. He quickly lubed up his own erection before grabbing a hold of Ryou's hips. Without a word Ryou raised his hips up, wrapping his legs around Malik's waist to make it easier on the both of them.

With a quick thrust Malik entered Ryou. Ryou let out a slightly pained moan, eyes filling up with tears. Malik waited several moments before Ryou gave a small nod. Malik slowly withdrew himself before thrusting back in, hips moving back and forth at a rapid pace. Ryou left out a small cry as his sweet spot was rubbed up against then whimpered loudly as it was hit again several times in quick succession.

Malik bent down to catch Ryou's lips in a soul searing kiss just as he felt his orgasm rapidly approaching. But it was Ryou that peaked first, spraying onto Malik's chest rather violently. It only took Malik a few more thrusts before he came inside Ryou, coating his walls with his cum.

Ryou seemed in shock, chest rising and falling shallowly as stared up at the ceiling in a daze. Malik managed not to collapse on Ryou, instead falling onto his back next to the teen with a contented sigh.

Ryou curled onto his side, dazed eyes blinking in Malik's direction for several moments before closing. He fell asleep shortly after that, leaving Malik to stare contently at his peaceful face.

Malik managed to roll onto his side, grabbing for several tissues blindly off of his nightstand. He cleaned himself and Ryou up before curling up around the slumbering teen.

_Kami-sama! If that wasn't the best sex EVER!! I never knew sex could feel this wonderful! If I'd have known this before I would have been screwing practically anyone! I can't believe it took me this long and Ryou to help me figure out what I had been missing! Fuck, that felt great! Now I know why Bakura didn't want to give him up and why Marik tried to rape him. Hell, knowing sex could be this great, I probably would have tried to rape him myself._

Malik finally closed his eyes, succumbing to call of sleep.

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: *whistles!* Wow, a bit steamier Ryou lemon than last time with Bakura. And the scary thing is that I wrote this chapter with my mother in the room, though she didn't notice a thing. I did warn everyone back in chapter twelve that Malik and Ryou would be having sex together, regardless of the story's final pairing. I hope everyone enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. LOL! Am I the only one that finds _penis_ to be an awkward word to read or write in the middle of a sex scene?

I'm afraid Malik's turned into a bit of a sex junkie now. It must be Ryou's sexual prowess. But it also seems that he liked having sex with Ryou just for that reason, sex. It'll take him a bit longer for him to want Ryou for himself, and not just for his body.

_**IMPORTANT:**_ I would much appreciate it if everyone would tell me about their pets. I want names, species, number of each, and the quirkiest thing about them. For instance: I have a cat Smenkhkare who likes to lick my dirty clothes, I have a dog Djosser that has an obsession with empty toilet paper tubes, and I have another cat Coralie that has been officially diagnosed as mentally retarded and I had two cats, Tiger and Cougar, that were gay together. Just drop a line in your review – please and thank you!


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 16

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 28

Malik/Ryou: 28

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

Akefia lay on the unfamiliar bed, unfocused eyes gazing at the ceiling numbly. He knew what his brother had done that night, knew what his brother had did with that _thing_. It disgusted him already that Ryou slept with that pig Bakura but now he was giving himself up like a common whore to that tramp Malik!

Akefia angrily rolled onto his side, hands clenching and unclenching. There was no way he would be able to sleep knowing Ryou was down the hall, letting some prostitute touch him with his unclean fingers. He was normally so calm and held together but lately his brother had been making him more and more livid.

Akefia angrily grabbed his blankets, throwing then off of himself. He pulled himself off of the mattress and slid his feet into his slippers harshly as he yanked his robe on. The Guild leader threw his door open, stomping down the hall.

With an angry snarl he threw open the door to Malik's bedroom, eyes landing on the sight of his brother being cuddled by Malik. Ryou woke up at the sound of the bedroom door slamming open, sleep filled eyes landing blearily on the sight of his half-brother standing in the doorway.

With an angry gesture of his head Akefia motioned for Ryou to join him. Ryou nervously bit his lip, apprehension evident on his face. He glanced down at the sleeping Malik's face before raising his eyes back to his half-brother's face.

Akefia's face grew even angrier at Ryou hesitation – the man took a threatening step forward, clenched fingers turning white from the lack of blood. Ryou's face lost its post-sex flush, body shaking nervously.

He slowly detached himself from Malik's lax grip, keeping his lower body from Akefia's view as he grabbed his boxers off the floor. He slowly slipped them on under the protection of the blanket, fumbling awkwardly in an attempt to keep Malik from waking.

When he was finally covered up he slipped out from under the blanket, unconsciously shivering in the slightly cooler air. Ryou grabbed one of Malik's t-shirts from the chair it was carelessly thrown on, pulling it over his torso quickly. He joined his half-brother in the doorway, turning off the room's light as he exited.

Ryou had to nearly run to keep up with Akefia's rapid strides. Luckily the pair did not travel far, stopping at a door only a few room's down from Malik's. Akefia threw open the door and crossed the room to sit down on the bed as he threw off his robe, Ryou hesitantly following him a few moments later.

With a sudden jerk, Akefia threw his arm around Ryou's shoulders, pulling to teen to his side in an awkward embrace. Ryou tensed up at his half-brother's touch before relaxing into his warm side with a barely audible sigh.

The two sat side by side for several moments, each just enjoying the feeling of being near someone else. Finally Akefia broke the embrace, puling away to lie down on his back. Cautiously Ryou followed him, lying down stiffly next to his half-brother. It had been many years since he had slept in the same bed as his brother.

Akefia was silent for many long moments, so long that Ryou feared he had fallen asleep. But slowly his half-brother stirred, rolling on the bed to face Ryou. Ryou also rolled to his side, eyes locked on Marik's curiously.

"Ryou…I know what I said this afternoon must have been a shock to you. I understand. But unfortunately you do not have time to dwell on this revelation. Something has come to my attention and I fear I must give you an ultimatum. You have a choice to make right now, you may decide to go back to the Guild with me in a few days time or you may remain here in Domino City under the guardianship of Marik."

Ryou shifted onto his back, his mind strangely blank. _Leave, or stay?_ Never option sounded appealing to him. Akefia shifted softly next to him, drawing Ryou's attention back to his half-brother.

"How-" Ryou had to pause to nervously clear his throat before continuing. "How long do I have to decide?"

"I leave on Saturday, so you have two days to decide. I need your answer the night before I leave."

Ryou rolled over onto his side, away from Akefia, staring into the darkness of the bedchamber blankly. _Leave, or stay?_

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: sorry for the shortness. Classes have started back up for the summer and they are a b*tch. Please remember to vote. Or you will never find out what happens to sweet old Ryou. *smirk*

I love Akefia's characters, he's so formal and stiff yet a total bastard to everyone but Ryou. He's just full of so many surprises.

_**And Just A Side Note**_ – as much as everyone may wish for an Akefia/Malik lemon, I don't think it will be happening. Akefia hates people too much and I doubt that's gonna change in the few days before he leaves. So the lemon is highly unlikely unless something changes in time for the sequel.

_**IMPORTANT:**_ I would much appreciate it if everyone would tell me about their pets. I want names, species, number of each, and the quirkiest thing about them. For instance: I have a cat Smenkhkare who likes to lick my dirty clothes, I have a dog Djosser that has an obsession with empty toilet paper tubes, and I have another cat Coralie that has been officially diagnosed as mentally retarded and I had two cats, Tiger and Cougar, that were gay together. Just drop a line in your review – please and thank you!


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 37

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 34

Malik/Ryou: 35

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

Malik slowly broke through the sleepy haze that had enveloped him. The teen was exhausted, yet for some reason he was unable to return to sleep. Malik lazily rolled onto his stomach, arm reaching out for the warm body he had fallen asleep next to. To his surprise his searching hand met with nothing but air. All traces of sleep gone, Malik bolted upright, eyes peering around the half-lit room desperately. Weak sunlight filtered in lazily through the half open curtains, dimly exposing the empty room mockingly.

The bathroom door was propped open. Malik could see through the entryway that Ryou was not in the small room.

Malik sat up all the way, tearing the blankets off of his naked body, scrambling for something decent to wear. He finally found a pair of dark blue pajama pants with little silver stars on them and quickly shoved his legs into the pant legs.

Then he was out of the room in a heartbeat. He raced down the hallway towards his brother's room, flinging the door open with a loud crash. His brother was still in bed, despite the alarm clock beeping incessantly. Malik was over to the side of Marik's bed in three quick angry paces. The teen furiously grabbed a hold of his brother's bedcovers, pulling them off with one quick jerk.

To his surprise and bewilderment, Marik was alone in the bed. The older teen curled into a tighter ball, mumbling to himself quietly.

Slowly Marik stirred awake, eyes blinking blearily at the sight of his younger brother standing over him angrily.

"Malik – whass the matter?" the half-asleep teen slurred out.

Malik looked over Marik in disbelief; _Ryou was not here! There was no way he had wandered off by himself, not with his half-brother in the same house._

Without a word, Malik swiftly turned on his heels, running out of the room before Marik could get himself out of bed.

Marik remained in bed as his brother fled his room, grabbing his blankets off the floor to cover himself back up.

Malik ran down the hall, eyes alighting on a maid sweeping the floor. He raced up to her, grabbing a hold of her arm as he desperately tried to get his breath back.

"Have-have you seen Ryou?" The shy, quiet teen had become very loved among the servants. All had a soft spot for the pale youth; they respected him for his quiet determination and strong will when it came to Marik along with his own respect for the servants.

"Yes Malik-san. He is currently residing in Akefia-san's bedchamber." The maid turned from Malik and continued to sweep the hardwood floors, her broom making a soft swishing noise. Malik remained standing, feet rooted to the floor. After what Ryou had told him about his half-brother, Malik wanted to check and make sure Ryou was okay. But he didn't dare invade the sanctity of Akefia's bedroom.

Malik's concerns were laid to rest though, as Ryou left a room not to far from where he was standing. The teen had obviously just gotten out a shower, his hair was still damp and his skin had that glow that came after just being washed in warm water. Ryou was dressed in a dark green turtleneck made of a light, loose material and a pair of loose jeans. Malik had never seen the clothes before so he assumed that Akefia had brought them along with him.

Malik started towards Ryou just as the teen caught sight of him. Ryou flushed at the sight of his lover from the previous night, blood rushing to color his cheeks. Ryou started to step towards Malik but hesitantly stopped when Malik stopped walking, eyes widening at something behind him.

Ryou also froze when he felt arms loop around his neck, his half-brother's breath rasping in his ear. Akefia's damp hair brushed his cheek as he planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

Malik froze at the sight of Akefia embracing Ryou. The man also looked like he had come directly from a shower, only he was dressed in a black suit with a red button up shirt and a black tie. The man leant down and whispered several words in Ryou's ear before turning away and reentering his room.

Ryou looked down at his sock clad feet for several seconds before continuing to approach Malik. The Egyptian did not question him on his actions, only led them back to his room.

~X.X.X.~

Malik was worried, and for a good reason. Ryou had been quiet and distant the whole day, barely mumbling more that a few words. He had merely eaten a few bites at lunch and seemed off in his own little word. But Malik knew something that might cheer him up. "Hey, Ry-Ry, I'll be back in just a few."

Malik grabbed his cell phone and dashed into the hallway. He had a few phone calls to make. School should just be ending right now.

Malik reentered a few minutes later, eyes landing on the sight of Ryou in the exact same position he had left him in. Ryou was lying at the foot of the bed, watching some mid day Japanese game show. The contestants were dressed up like giant bumblebees and were involved in some competition concerning a giant pool full of honey and a trampoline.

"Hey Ryou-"

"Hm?"

"I invited the gang to come over after school. They should be here in a few minutes."

That got Ryou's attention. The teen sat up quickly, nearly tumbling off of the bed in his haste. His voice was quiet and scared. "You mean, they-they're coming here?"

Malik sat down next to the teen, caressing his arm softly through his shirt. "Relax Ryou. You don't have to tell them a thing. Don't worry, they won't ask any questions that have to answer. I just think that it'll be good for you to have a chance to hang around people who just want to have fun."

Ryou still looked nervous but Malik's words had swayed him slightly. "Al- all right."

"Great!" Malik grabbed the surprised Ryou in a giant hug, swinging him off the bed in his excitement. Ryou squeaked in fear but couldn't help being caught up in his enthusiasm.

~X.X.X.~

Ryou sat on the couch quietly, hands clasped in front of him nervously. He had given in to Malik earlier but now he was sincerely regretting his decision. The others would be arriving at any minute and Ryou was afraid of what might happen. Malik could see his trembling from where he sat sprawled out next to the teen, head resting next the youth's trembling thigh. The two had decided that they would tell everyone that they were together in hopes that the shock would make every one forget about Bakura and Marik.

The loud sound of a doorbell broke the uneasy silence the pair had settled into. Malik rolled off of the couch to greet the others while Ryou remained sitting where he had been, frozen in fear. He had met the group before, once at lunch, but that had been so long ago, and at a different point in his life.

Malik led the way back into the room, followed closely by Yugi and Yami, hands clasped together, then Seto and Jou, bickering loudly. Malik resumed his former position on the couch, only this time he plopped his head in Ryou's lap.

Yami and Yugi seated themselves on the loveseat, cuddling up to one another while Seto took the armchair, leaving Jou to flop down on the carpeted floor. Jou and Seto continued their argument as a maid entered the room carrying a tray full of snacks and beverages.

Yami leaned forward in his seat, watching Malik and Ryou with a pensive look in his eyes. When Jounouchi and Seto finally shut up for a moment Yami quickly took advantage of the peace. "So - what's this I see Malik? Have you finally started dating someone your own age?"

Yugi elbowed Yami in the side at his rudeness but turned to Malik with a look of anticipation. Seto also turned to regard the pair while Jou rolled over to face them Ryou could feel himself flush at the attention. Malik reached up to grasp a hold of Ryou's hands, stilling the trembling.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I have." Yugi jumped off the loveseat, grasping the pair in a hug. Ryou stiffened up, but slowly willed himself to relax when he realized that Yugi wasn't gonna hurt him.

"So I guess congratulations are in order." It was Seto that spoke this time, but his eyes did not belay a sense of congratulations. He was watching Ryou with a sense of wariness and distrust. Ryou shrank back into his seat even further, pressing himself into the cushion, wishing he could disappear.

Jou broke the silence that had filled the room after Seto spoke. "So, how did ya get ta-gether? Neither of ya had been ta school in so long, we thought ya'll had died."

"Well, Ryou was over here working on a project with Marik when he got sick. So I let him stay over since his brother works all the time and I stayed home with him. And things just kinda went from there. But the last few days Ryou's been busy contacting that agency, what's its name, from the U.S., as a follow up from Bakura's gaining guardianship over him. So we've just been hanging around the house, chilling."

After that, everyone seemed to settle down, everyone agreeing on a movie to watch. Ryou could feel Seto's eyes burning into him the whole two hours of the movie. It made him so nervous he couldn't even concentrate on the movie. Malik sensed his apprehension and that made Ryou even more nervous because he didn't want the other teen to suspect anything.

The movie finally ended, the credits rolling across the screen slowly. Malik rolled off of Ryou's leg with a sigh, stretching his arms above his head as he went. Ryou groaned slightly at Malik's movements, his leg had fallen asleep under the weight of Malik's head and now pins and needles were attacking it violently.

Seto also stood, glancing at his watch as he went. "Sorry to leave so soon, but my company doesn't run itself."

With that, Seto swept elegantly out of the room. Malik followed Seto out of the room, speaking to the other in a low voice.

Ryou was left in the room with the other three. An uneasy silence descended onto the room, but was broken by the sound of Jounouchi burping loudly before grabbing a handful of pocky sticks.

Yugi leaned onto Yami, lavender eyes watching Ryou curiously. "So Ryou-kun, how have you adjusted to life in Japan?"

Ryou nervously cleared his throat before he began. For the first time in several days he wished that Bakura was with him, more than anything else in the world. "I-um. It's different. Definitely. Half the time I don't know the proper thing to do and the other half of the time I remember the wrong thing to do. Like I'm always getting confused on which honorific to use and I never remember to bow the right way. And the way Japanese celebrate holidays is so different from how the U.S. celebrates them."

Yami laughed at Ryou's words. "Yeah, it takes some time to get used to things. I will admit though, you are better at this culture thing then Marik and Malik were when they first moved here."

Ryou felt a blush creep across his face. He politely thanked Yami for words, and then the room descended into silence once again. Jounouchi was the next to break the silence. "So, hows da sex?"

Ryou had been taking a sip of tea when Jou spoke and he began to cough harshly, struggling to get the liquid down. Yami reached down and smacked Jou across the head with a resounding _whack_ as Yugi went to pound on Ryou's back. Finally Ryou managed to swallow his drink, croaking out a bewildered "What?" as he did.

"Ryou-kun, you don't have to answer that. Jou-kun's just being a jerk."

"Wha-? I just wanted to know if they doin the nasty or not? We all know ya two do it. Heck, Seto an I do it, an we're not even ta-gether."

Ryou blushed even harder. Never had he met someone who was so frank with his or her sex life. Malik chose that moment to enter the room, catching only the tail bit of Jou's words. He began laughing loudly, clutching his sides as he fell onto the couch next to Ryou.

Ryou couldn't help but feel accepted. Never before had he been around people who were so undemanding of him, people who didn't judge him or look at him funny.

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: I'm actually finding it easier to type up new chapters now that I'm out of my mom's house and back at school. Even though I have a butt load of classes to go to, and I work in my school's guidance department, so I'm swamped with a bunch of needy little freshmen who can't handle the pressure. And my roommate sucks ass! She's all "gay people don't deserve to live. Anyone who likes them is stupid and needs to go to counseling." GRR!!! Makes me want to rip out her fake Barbie hair!!!

*I know it might seem like I jumped the gun with Marik and Ryou's relationship, with Marik wanting to jump Ryou's bones so early, but there is an important plot detail behind that.

_**IMPORTANT: **_I would much appreciate it if everyone would tell me about their pets. I want names, species, number of each, and the quirkiest thing about them. For instance: I have a cat Smenkhkare who likes to lick my dirty clothes, I have a dog Djosser that has an obsession with empty toilet paper tubes, and I have another cat Coralie that has been officially diagnosed as mentally retarded and I had two cats, Tiger and Cougar, that were gay together. Just drop a line in your review – please and thank you!

_*****--EVEN MORE IMPORTANT***:**_ please drop me a line with the name of your favorite book(s) or author(s). It would make me very happy, and happy people type chapters faster!


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 38

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 37

Malik/Ryou: 39

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

Akefia straightened his tie, not out of nervousness, but rather out of a desire to look impeccable in front of the one who had claimed his precious brother's heart. The man stood on the wooden porch in front of Ryou's house, waiting for Bakura to answer the door.

When Bakura finally opened the door slowly, the sight that greeted Akefia was far from attractive. The assassin's hair was stringy and greasy from not being washed in several days, his skin darkened with a layer of dirt, his clothes wrinkled and suspiciously stained, and his eyes bloodshot with dark circles ringing them.

The assassin wordlessly snarled at the sight of Akefia before retreating into the darkness of his home, leaving the door open for Akefia to follow at his own discretion.

Akefia slid the door open wider with his foot before entering the darkened house, pausing to close the door behind him. Bakura had retreated to the living room, curled up sullenly on the couch, a frown marring his face. Akefia opted to sit down on the armchair, setting his briefcase on the floor next to him.

Akefia took a few moments to let his eyes wander around the room, soaking up the sight of Ryou's unfinished painting propped up in front of the television cabinet. His eyes were drawn to the sight of two figures standing across a field of light purple wildflowers, a person dressed in a scarlet dress, the other, masculine one, wearing flowing robes of mint green. The pair was standing with their backs to each other, but the feminine person in the scarlet robes had her head turned to face the other. The sky and key facial features on the pair had not yet been filled in.

Akefia huffed slightly under his breath, Bakura had always insisted in finding meaning in the art Ryou painted, even though it was obvious that his portraits had no symbolic meaning.

Finally he turned his piercing eyes back to Bakura, filled with scorn and contempt at the man Ryou loved.

Bakura shifted under Akefia's stare, licking his chapped lips nervously and shifting in his seat. The assassin had no idea what to expect; it wouldn't be unlike Akefia to order his death for his incompentency, even though it was the Guild leader's fault for his current state.

Akefia was the first one to break the silence that had settled over the room like a thick fog. "Believe me Bakura; I am not here out of pity or sympathy for you. If I had my way, you would be dead right now. But in light of certain actions, the decision was taken out of my control. Someone has spoken on your behalf and is willing to take responsibility for you and your behavior.

"Your actions over the last few weeks have been absolutely ridiculous. And as such, the Guild was indebted to your employer. He reserved the right to claim you for his own as reparation for your mistakes and inactions. So, as of now, you officially belong to him to be done with as he sees fit."

Bakura had avoided eye contact with Akefia as he spoke, but when he had finished his speech Bakura raised bloodshot eyes to gape in astonishment at him.

"You-you've given me over to the man who you let steal Ryou from me?"

Akefia scoffed quietly. "Ryou was never yours to be stolen away from. He was not yours when you were paired together, and he was not yours when you arrived in Domino."

"Wh-what?"

"It is really not that hard of a concept to understand. Ryou has been promised to Marik, and vice versa, since he was born. The previous Guild leader, my father, betrothed his son to his business partner's son upon the birth of Ryou. It has been destined that Ryou would end up with Marik; it was merely an unfortunate event that the pair of you began a relationship.

"However, do not expect this to be an opportunity for you to get back together with Ryou, he has been granted an opportunity to return to the Guild with me. You are to have no contact with him until he has made his decision as to his future."

Bakura gaped at Akefia, mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out. "Since you cannot be trusted around Ryou, you are to reside here until he makes his decision. Should you make any attempt to contact him, there will be dire consequences."

With that Akefia stood up and swept out of the room, walking down the hallway to exit the house. Bakura remained seated, still staring vacantly at the portrait across from him.

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: sorry it was later than the previous few chapters. My USB drive broke and now I'm waiting a new one. But I did manage to save all of my work! :)

**While I am grateful for everyone taking the time to review, I do not appreciate death threats, serious or not, meant for me or for others. Do not do it, you will not be warned a second time.**

_**IMPORTANT: **_I would much appreciate it if everyone would tell me about their pets. I want names, species, number of each, and the quirkiest thing about them.

_*****--EVEN MORE IMPORTANT***:**_ please drop me a line with the name of your favorite book(s) or author(s). It would make me very happy, and happy people type chapters faster!

_**IMPORTANT MEMO ABOUT VOTES**_: I tally all votes from fan fiction . net the minute before I update the next chapter. However, I don't post the votes from other sources because I find it is better not to show everyone the total votes because then people might decide its not worth supporting their chosen couple and I do not want to sway anyone's opinion. So continue to vote for your chosen pairing regardless, and I will reveal the top two parings in a few more chapters.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Name: Son of the Night

"…" Speech

_Anything in italics is direct thoughts (not general musings)_

Summary: Ryou and Bakura are brothers and happily in love, despite Bakura's job, but another wishes to come in between the happy couple. How far will the other go to get Ryou? YAOI BXR MXR, bloody stuff (light) and violence

Warning: This story is totally yaoi. YUM!! N e ways, there is also violence and brutal killings (means lots of blood and gore). And incest is really big but oh well. If that is the kind of stuff that floats your boat then, read on! If not, well then, go away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

Vote tally so far:

Marik/Ryou: 2

Bakura/Ryou: 39

Marik/Malik/Bakura/Ryou: 39

Malik/Ryou: 40

Grr…people, you have to vote! Feel free to vote multiple times!

~X.X.X.~

Ryou rolled over onto his opposite side, caressing the fabric of the pants material beneath his cheek. He and Malik had switched positions and now his head was draped against Malik's thigh while the Egyptian sat upright against the couch. Jounouchi had also left but Yugi and Yami remained behind. The pair was showing Ryou a card game called Duel Monsters that had recently become popular over the past few years. Ryou had a hard time following all of the rules but he liked to look at the pictures printed on the cards.

The game abruptly ended somehow, though Ryou could not determine how Yami had managed to wipe away all of Yugi's life points. It was a complicated maneuver involving a trap card and some spell cards, along with a card called The Change of Heart. It was Ryou's favorite card because it reminded him of himself and Bakura, how they were complete opposites, yet together they formed a whole.

Ryou felt his chest constrict tightly as long 'discarded' memories of Bakura surfaced. He was trying so hard to not dwell on the memory of his brother but it seemed that everything he did was in some way connected to Bakura.

Ryou had no idea what was going to happen to Bakura, Akefia was prone to violent outbursts whenever someone did something to Ryou that he did not like. Ryou counted himself lucky that Akefia did not know about the attempted rape by Marik; as much as he was upset at the businessman, he did not want anything to happen to him out of respect for the memory of who the teen used to be and for Malik.

Ryou's attention was jerked back to the occupants of the room as Yugi stood up with a loud groan, popping his back with a loud crack. The teen slowly wandered out of the room, tossing a quick "bathroom break" over his shoulders as he left.

Malik took advantage of the brief lull in conversation to slyly ask Yami about the school work and gossip the pair had missed out on. Yami took no time to rush into a long winded explanation of the drama unfolding among the halls of Domino High, glossing quickly over the school assignments. Ryou let his mind drift away again; he had no idea who any of the people mentioned were, he barely knew Malik and his friends.

Ryou had no idea what to do about his future. He couldn't bear the thought of returning to the Guild and living with Akefia for the rest of his natural life. Yet, he didn't trust Malik and Marik enough to want to stay here any longer than necessary. '_If only I knew what was going to happen to Bakura. That would make this decision a whole lot easier. Oh Kami-sama, I miss him so much!'_

Once again Ryou was jolted back into reality as Yugi stumbled back into the living room. The teen had a look of pure terror on his face and his limbs were shaking as he collapsed onto the floor next to Yami. Ryou half sat up as Malik leaned forward, concern evident in his eyes. "You okay Yugs?"

Yugi took several moments to collect himself, gulping huge gasps of air into his throat as he clenched and unclenched his hands. He managed to gasp out a single word. "Yeah."

Yami wrapped his arms reassuringly around Yugi, rocking him slowly back and forth under the teen's trembling was put under control. "Um, Ryou, d-do you realize th-that there's a man h-here who looks a-a lot like you, o-only he's got bl-bl-bl-blood all over his clothes?"

Ryou felt a cold sweat break out across his clammy forehead. _'Oh Kami-sama, he's killed Bakura. __He finally did it.'_ He struggled to lift his body totally upright but Malik clasped his hands around the struggling teen's waist in an attempt to calm the boy down. He managed to get his voice heard above the teen's struggles. "That's his half-brother actually. He's a really famous veterinarian and he's here to host a class at Domino College on some sort of technical medical thing with dogs and cats. Our fathers were friends growing up so Marik graciously allowed him to stay with us while he's here."

Ryou finally fell lax into Malik's grasp, letting his head rest against the Egyptian's collarbone as he gulped air frantically. Yami raised his worried eyes to Ryou's face, watching the panicked teen critically. "Are you okay?"

Ryou finally managed to catch his breath but his chest still trembled. He swallowed his tears with several loud gulps before managing to speak. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you guys. It's just, he told me today would be strictly a lecture. I wasn't aware that he would be doing a practical also. I apologize for my overreaction. I am always afraid that some college student will knife him or something while he's heading back."

Yugi appeared convinced by Malik and Ryou's speeches but Yami's eyes still held a degree of wariness as he watched Ryou and Malik.

~X.X.X.~

Akefia stood in his bathroom, scrubbing himself in the glass shower stall as his bath water cooled to a manageable temperature. _'Murder is always so filthy. Why can't the pigs ever just die cleanly?'_

Finally Akefia was satisfied with his cleanliness and he turned off the water flow and stepped across the beige tiles to sink his lean, muscled body into the warm water. He slowly rolled his neck, easing the strained muscles carefully. Akefia stretched out his legs across the tub's length, sighing softly as he did.

The man lay for several long minutes, relaxing into the tub's embrace. His concentration was broke, however, by the sound of the bathroom door easing open. Without even opening his eyes Akefia knew it was his brother by the sound of the teen's soft breathing. "Come join me Ryou."

There was no reply but Akefia could hear Ryou shifting from foot to foot as he thought about Akefia's request. Finally Ryou stirred from his position in the doorway and walked over the bench, placing his clothes in a neat pile as he stripped each piece off. Then the shower door opened and closed gently and the water snapped on with a hiss. Akefia kept his eyes closed but a soft smirk crept across his face. '_No matter what, Ryou will always give into me.'_

Ryou stood under the cascading water, teeth chattering from the remnants of the fear that was still in his heart. _'Bakura is probably dead, or at least severely injured. How could Akefia do that to his own half-brother?' _No matterwhat Akefia said, he would never believe for an instant that Bakura was not his brother. Finally Ryou grabbed a scrubbing brush and set to cleaning himself. One should never keep Akefia waiting too long.

When Ryou exited the shower, Akefia was still lying relaxed in the tub, though Ryou knew better than to believe for a second that Akefia was not aware of his every movement. Ryou cautiously lowered himself into the tub across from Akefia, hissing softly as the water lightly burned his skin. Akefia had always had a fascination with bathing in boiling hot water, a fascination Ryou did not share.

When Ryou was fully seated and still, Akefia opened his eyes, critically and aesthetically surveying his brother's naked body. He was still much too thin. That had always been a problem. Ryou used to starve himself, back when Bakura was forcing himself sexually onto the teen, in an unconscious attempt to make himself flawed and imperfect in the eyes of Bakura. But Akefia had beaten that tendency out of the teen many years ago. However it was apparent that Ryou had resumed that practice. It seemed that his brother needed another lesson.

Ryou shifted nervously under his half-brother's piercing gaze. He hated the way Akefia's eyes made his skin crawl, the way it made his stomach turned flip-flops, the way it made his heart drop all the way to his trembling toes.

Finally Akefia broke the silence, asking Ryou in a conversational tone, "So, how had life with Malik and Marik been?"

Ryou winced slightly. He wasn't sure as to what answer Akefia might want to hear from him. Ryou decided that truth, nothing more and nothing less, would probably be the safest route. "It's all right. I haven't seen much of Marik lately but Malik's really nice and helpful."

'_Hmm, so_ _dear sweet Ryou likes Malik, I may just have to put the _thing_ in its place.'_

"It's good that you're adjusting to life here. Have you made a decision as to what your future plans are?"

Ryou gnawed on his bottom lip nervously, pulling the abused flesh between his teeth unconsciously. "Um, no, not really."

Akefia's lips curled up into a sneer. "Well, I have some information that just might help you make up your mind. Upon your birth, my sperm donor and Marik's father made a deal many years ago that you would be given to his eldest, Marik, in marriage. Of course, this was before homosexual marriage was common practice, so it was initially planned that you would be raised in a traditional female's role. The purpose was to unite the Guild with the then fourth largest weapons manufacturer in the world. But then I gained the Guild and decided to make you part of the experimental partner program I engineered. Now, I am obligated to honor that pact, and as such, if you decide to remain here under Marik's guardianship, you will be given to him in a civil union partnership. However, if you agree to return with me to the Guild, the agreement will be considered null and void."

Ryou felt a cold slimy hand grasp a hold of his heart, clenching it tightly with dead fingers. He knew that Akefia was telling him this in hopes of scaring him into returning to the Guild. But Ryou was still frightened at the prospect of being in a relationship with Marik, especially when the loss of Bakura was still so raw and the memory of the attempted rape so fresh. But Akefia's revelation did make sense. That would explain why Marik was so determined to have sex with him, even though the pair had only known each other for a short time. _'Akefia has probably been giving Marik updates and photos every year on me!'_

~X.X.X.~

luckycatshadow: sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. My Honors World Music class had a huge project due. It was like sixty percent of my grade so I had to finish that before working on this story. And every time I tried to upload the chapter, my computer would kick me off the internet. So this chapter's been finished for a long time. The next chapter won't be up for a while though, since I will be focusing on my NaNoWriMo story.

Oh, don't worry, when I wrote that Akefia 'beat' Ryou, I meant that figuratively, not literally. Akefia would never physically harm his brother. And I'm trying to work a lemon between Akefia and Malik into the story but I'm just not sure at this point if it will work out.

_**IMPORTANT: **_I would much appreciate it if everyone would tell me about their pets. I want names, species, number of each, and the quirkiest thing about them.

_*****--EVEN MORE IMPORTANT***:**_ please drop me a line with the name of your favorite book(s) or author(s). It would make me very happy, and happy people type chapters faster!

_**IMPORTANT MEMO ABOUT VOTES**_: I tally all votes from fan fiction . net the minute before I update the next chapter. However, I don't post the votes from other sources because I find it is better not to show everyone the **total** votes because then people might decide it is not worth supporting their chosen couple and I do not want to sway anyone's opinion. So continue to vote for your chosen pairing regardless, and I will reveal the top two pairings in a few more chapters.


End file.
